Weeping Waters
by DevilTito
Summary: When ships are being attacked at an incredible rate, Lucy is hired to protect the crew of the Empress. She is determined to solve the mystery behind the attacks, but finds that there might be something more to it than she would have ever thought. What is following the Empress and why is Gray suddenly on a pirate ship?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I'm really anxious to publish this story, because it is something I've been working on for 3 years. I started this when I was about to finish high school and now I can't keep it secret any longer. The first few chapters might be slow and you might notice how my writing style changes as the story progresses and that is because I've grown as a writer over the past few years. With the ending og FT, I hesitated for a while to publish, but I can't wait any longer and want to revive my love for the series. Lucy is my favorite character and the story will revolve around her, eventually leading to GrayLu. The fic is kind-of timeless, so I hope you will enjoy the freedom of the adventure. I present to you, Weeping Waters.**

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 _Weeping waters_

Fairy Tail, one of the strongest guilds in Fiore, was bustling with activity as per usual. People were running around, doing their jobs and keeping themselves occupied. Today, a special training camp for the mages of the guild was coming to an end and the participants were returning back home. The camp consisted of three and a half weeks of hellish training with some of the strongest mages in all of Fairy Tail. The idea had come to the guild master late at night a few months ago. He had put everything into planning this camp whilst keeping it a secret. His guild could use some challenge. Therefore, most of the mages had been sent to the camp, but many had returned after a few days, either because of trauma or injury. The rest had kept at it for the remaining three weeks. The return of the campers, however, meant that Fairy Tail was in for a rough couple of days.

The mages would surely be pumped – in the case of Natsu – and would demand to take on the whole guild at once. Some would test out their skills by taking on risky jobs the moment they returned, and others would want to relax for a long while. Therefore, the remaining guild members were snatching up jobs to do, and busying themselves to avoid getting dragged into fights. The buzzing of the guild ended abruptly, when a low rumbling was heard.

"Could it be…?" Jet whispered clearly terrified. He gulped nervously and looked ready to faint.

"No way!" Droy slowly took shelter under one of the tables as the rumbling intensified and the guild almost started shaking. Jet and Droy had been among the returning campers and had gone off to train on their own. It had been way too intense for their liking. Now, they prayed for some sort of miracle to spare them from their demonic guild mates.

"WE ARE BACK!" The doors burst open and in came Elfman and Natsu charging ahead at full speed and crashing into the tables. Those unfortunate enough to be standing near the two mages were tackled to the floor in bone crushing hugs. Behind them, the rest of the camp participants steadily flittered through the doors, greeting their friends. Amongst them was Lucy, who hugged her friends and said her hello-s before she dragged her feet over to the bar, where she plopped down on a stool.

"Welcome back." Mira greeted cheerfully and passed the blonde a drink. She was certain Lucy would need it.

"Good to be back." Lucy replied and took a long swig from her glass. Setting it back at the counter, she let out a long sigh.

"You seem a little tired Lucy. Is everything alright?" The bar-maid frowned. Lucy was swaying slightly on her stool.

"I'm so exhausted, I'm numb!" Lucy cried out exasperatedly. "I can't feel my body at all." To prove her point, she pinched the skin of her underarm hard a few times, but nothing happened. She didn't even bat an eye. She turned her eyes back to the barmaid.

"Looks like you guys had fun." Mirajane chuckled. Judging from her blonde friend's appearance, they had had anything but. The stellar spirit mage looked like she had been run over by a train. Multiple times. Followed by being dragged through the woods, and probably also chucked into the sea. There was something in Lucy's eyes that made her resemble a wild animal.

"It was hell, but it's over now. I can finally relax." Lucy sighed contently. She had a dreamy look on her face, and was surely fantasizing about a relaxing visit to a spa or something else to pamper herself with.

"If it was that hard, then surely you must have gotten a lot stronger." Mira mused thoughtfully. Knowing her guild mates, they had probably worked Lucy to the bone along with everyone else. She pitied her friends. Erza and Laxus, among others, had been instructors at the camp.

"Oh God!" Lucy looked up from her glass and gasped in horror. Mira never got to hear what the blonde had wanted to say, because in the bat of an eye Natsu and Happy popped out of nowhere and hauled Lucy to her feet.

"Let's go do a job, Lucy! I wanna see how much stronger we've gotten! I can't wait to kick some ass~" The dragon slayer rambled in a hurry and dragged the blonde away with Happy flying around them in circles. Lucy didn't even have it in her to argue, so she sighed loudly in defeat. So much for relaxing.

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They returned to the guild the very next day, having completed the job in no time. Lucy was convinced she would die, if she had to walk another step. She plopped down in a seat and rested her head on a table, while Natsu headed straight for the request board. The guild had gotten some interesting jobs, while she had been away, but Lucy was too tired to even consider looking at them. She just wanted to sleep for a long time.

"How'd the job go Lucy-san?" Lucy opened her eyes to see Wendy looking at her curiously. Normally, she would have recognized the dragon slayer from her voice and approach, but to Lucy's sleep-deprived brain, Wendy's question had echoed in her mind a few times, before she registered it.

"Fine. Natsu took care of the most." Lucy peered up from the comfort of her arms. Forming longer sentences than that was unmanageable. "As always."

"I don't understand how Natsu-san manages to run around like that. From what I heard, he shouldn't even be able to move." The young girl watched her fellow dragon slayer across the room. He seemed deep in thought, looking at more jobs to do.

"He's not human…" Lucy grumbled to herself. Every day for the past three and a half weeks, Natsu had insisted that she join him for morning jogging and continuously spar with him. It had been gruesome, but Lucy had to admit that she had gotten a lot more out of the camp, than she would have, had she stuck to the daily training only. Natsu had pissed off Erza by accident, which had lead to them being punished with even more training than the others. Food had also been regulated to be nutritious and healthy, so Lucy had been left craving junk food. After a while, however, she had gotten used to her new diet and forgotten about snacks, well, not entirely, but her cravings had subsided.

"Did you and Carla find what you were looking for?" Lucy suppressed a yawn and propped up on her elbows. She was feeling a bit better and wanted to catch up with Wendy.

"Yes! It took quite some time, though. We were looking at it from a completely wrong angle." Wendy accounted for her latest mission with Levy and Carla, which had taken her a while to complete, and thus missing out on the training camp. She also told Lucy about some of the places she had been to and what foods she had eaten before returning to the guild.

"It sounds really lovely, Wendy," she sighed. "I wish I could have gone with you, but Natsu, Happy and Gray just _had_ to drag me along. I don't want to be dragged off anymore." Wendy tilted her head to the side, twirling some hair around her fingers and staying silent for a few seconds.

"Why don't you just do a job on your own?" She asked innocently. Her big eyes peered up from behind her bangs as she took in her older comrade. Observing the dragon slayer for a few seconds, the blonde nodded.

"I've been considering it for a while, actually." Lucy confessed. She sat up straight and put her chin in her hands, exhaling loudly.

"I mean, every time I do a job, there's always someone to accompany me, and I never get to find out exactly how capable _I_ am. I love our team, I really do, but I just think I should be more independent once in a while." She rubbed a hand over her eyes tiredly. Man, it had really been a long day. Wendy looked thoughtful for a minute, before shrugging and smiling mischievously.

"You know, I was passing through town earlier, when I heard about ships getting raided at an incredible rate. Apparently, the ship captains are so nervous about setting sail that they are hiring mages to guard them on their trips." She told the blonde.

Lucy perked up at that particular bit of information. It sounded like a mission she could complete on her own easily. Some time away from Natsu, Gray and Erza wouldn't hurt either. She couldn't depend on them forever and the extra money would certainly come in handy. Lucy decided to look into the matter, but first, she needed to go home and rest. She could use a nice, long bath. Nodding, she bid Wendy goodbye and walked out of the guild. On her way home, Lucy decided to take a detour to the harbor and ask around a bit first. Being prepared was always a good thing.

"I hope the pay is good." She thought out loud. If it was a long trip, she could cash in a great reward or two. Besides, it had been a while since she had taken a job by herself and it sounded pretty interesting. If someone was targeting ships, she would get to the bottom of who they were. With renewed resolve, Lucy picked up her pace and started looking around, her fatigue completely forgotten. The first thing she noticed around the harbor was the sheer amount of 'HIRING' signs.

"Good lord." She whistled loudly. From what Wendy had told her, Lucy had imagined a handful of ships in need of magical protection. What she saw, though, was incredible. Every kind of ship imaginable could be spotted along the quay. Frustrated sailors were pacing everywhere, shooting each other daggers.

"Miss! Over here!" Someone called out to her. It was a short, bald man waving her over. Lucy tentatively stepped forward.

"Are you a mage?" He asked with a smile and showed off his crooked teeth. Lucy nodded once, "Yes, I am."

"Would you be interested in coming with us on a trip to Joya? We'll pay you 15,000 jewels a day." He asked hurriedly, before glancing over her shoulder and grimacing. Before she could inquire about the trip, an old man grabbed her arm and wobbled in front of the first one.

"Wouldn't you prefer a luxurious trip to the islands east of here, child? A beautiful girl like you shouldn't even consider going to such a dangerous place – all by yourself no less." The old man rasped. Lucy didn't like the way he spoke to her at all. She hated being looked down on.

"I am fully capable of deciding for myself, thank you." She replied, slightly annoyed. The bald man was glaring daggers at the old man, who ignored his very existence. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, a few more men appeared, asking Lucy to escort them instead and started arguing with each other. After watching the quarreling sailors for a few seconds, Lucy rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, leaving them behind. She really wasn't in a mood to deal with them. There was a difference between being desperate for protection and just ruining other's chances at getting it as well.

Lucy didn't get too far away, though. When she had walked a couple of feet, a boisterous laughter resounded from near her. Looking to her right, she saw a man sitting cross legged on a box, quite literally laughing his hat off. Lucy raised a brow in surprise and patiently waited for his laughter to die down.

"You are like fodder to most of the gentlemen assembled on these docks, young lady." He informed her, wiping a tear from his eye. Lucy eyed him skeptically. Judging from his attire, he was a normal sailor, but had this air around him that made her want to stick around and talk to him. He fascinated her.

"Gee, I hadn't noticed." She grumbled, but the corner of her mouth lifted. The man before her was intriguing. He was smiling broadly at her. He didn't look very old, but had this knowing glint in his eye. He was the only person so far, who wasn't throwing himself at her feet. As he sat there calmly, he seemed slightly out of place and oddly experienced, like he knew just what to do to get what he needed.

"I'm surprised they haven't started ripping off your limbs." He chuckled a little, glancing over at the arguing crowd and watching them with amusement. The sailors hadn't even noticed Lucy's absence yet.

"Must be my lucky day." She countered, earning a howl of laughter from the man.

"Pretty and has a sense of humor. I like you already." The man nodded to himself and got up from his seat on the crate. "The name's Jackmann, Bartolomeo Jackmann. Captain of the Empress. You can call me Bart." He took off his hat and bowed deeply.

"Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail." She curtseyed instead of shaking his hand, like she normally would have, deeming it more appropriate.

"Ah, Fairy Tail. I've heard of your guild before." He stroked his short beard thoughtfully. "Well Miss Lucy, I think we were fated to meet. As you might have guessed, I'm in need of a strong mage to accompany me and here you – the answer to my prayers – appear out of nowhere." He waved his hands around in the air, before pausing to gauge her reaction. Seeing as she didn't shoot down his suggestion right away, he continued.

"I will pay you 95,000 jewels a week for coming along on our voyage. It would be an honor to have you on board." He declared, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips. Lucy smiled at the gesture and looked up to meet his eyes. She thought about it for a second, and then nodded her head. It sounded like an adventure.

"I accept." Bart beamed with joy, instantly asking her questions about her magic and prior experience with sailing.

"So, where are you headed Captain?" She asked, turning to survey the majestic ship behind him. The Empress was truly a well-crafted work of art with handmade carvings all around the railings and beautiful, white sails that glimmered in the sunlight.

"I have a lot of valuable cargo that I will be delivering to a trader, who lives on the shore of an island near Minstrel." The captain put the hat back on and straightened his back, his mirth disappearing.

"How long will it take to get there?" The stellar spirit mage inquired. With the amount of jewels he was paying her, it most likely involved something dangerous.

"Approximately three weeks. Your job will be to guard the ship in case of attacks. We have been raided twice already, before reaching the previous port and once again, when we sat sail to get on with our journey, forcing us to dock here. If nothing happens, we'll get there in two or three weeks' time, if not, it might take even longer. You'll probably be on look-out for the most of the trip." He explained.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Lucy smiled at Bart, liking him even more, when his whole face lit up.

"Welcome aboard Lucy. We set sail tomorrow."

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 **As I read the first four chapters, I realize how much my writing has improved, but I don't want to change what High School Me wrote during finals. University-Me has been better at making the story progress naturally and it feels more cohesive as a whole. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed my first chapter and will stick around for the rest. Cheers (=w=)/**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm too excited for this story to pick up so I will upload the first few chapters this week. Thanks for the reviews and alerts!**

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"Here you go, Lucy-san. This will be your cabin. Captain Bart is just a few doors down, if you need anything. His office is located across the deck, you can't miss it." The Empress's quartermaster held the door open for her, letting her step inside. He closed it behind him after informing her of when and where lunch would be. Lucy looked around the spacious cabin with wide eyes. Bart had seen to that everything she would possibly need was present. She had two hammocks, a set of drawers, a shelf filled to the brim with books, a desk a little away from the porthole and an attached bathroom. Privacy wouldn't be an issue, it seemed.

Lucy placed her bags at the wooden floor and walked over to the porthole. The Empress hadn't sat sail yet, but would depart once the supplies had been restocked. Lucy had only been aboard the ship for an hour and she had already been greeted by most of the crewmembers. They had seemed very friendly and asked her lots of question about her magic, never having met a celestial spirit mage before.

' _I wonder what's happening at the guild.'_ Trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar building, Lucy looked out of the circular window. Her parting with her friends had been amusing, to say at least. Natsu and Happy had clung to her, demanding to be brought along while Erza convinced them to let her go. Gray, having left for a mission the previous day, was absent and Wendy reminded Natsu of his motion sickness and why it would be a horrible idea to tag along. In the end, Lucy had promised to get back as fast as she could and to bring them souvenirs. After a while the ship started moving and she slowly saw Magnolia fade away.

She smiled fondly at the thought of her friends. They were probably going to take a lot of jobs to keep themselves occupied, while she was away. She missed them already, but she at the same time, she felt excited about her voyage. That's when she remembered what her job was. The thought of the raids stopped her smiling and she sat down by her desk, deciding to write down the information she had gathered so far. She was determined to solve the mystery of the raids.

"Hmm…" She rubbed her chin and grabbed her keys, summoning Plue for a while. She would need someone to discuss her ideas with. So far, the Empress had been raided a total of three times. They were heading for Green Bit, an island three weeks journey from Magnolia. What Lucy found strange was the crew's demeanor. They didn't seem the slightest bit scared about setting sail again. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that they were able to defend themselves rather well and had only brought her along for insurance.

"What do you think, Plue?" She patted the small spirit's head.

"Pu-puun"

"Am I over-thinking?" The little creature kept 'plue-ing', trying to explain Lucy what he thought – not that she'd understand it anyway. She was too busy wrapping her head around all her deductions and theories. So busy, in fact, that she missed the first three knocks on her door.

"Lucy?" Bart called from outside. She jumped in fright and hurried over to the door bringing Plue along.

"Sorry Bart, I was spacing out." She apologized as she opened the door.

"No worries. What you say, we get something to eat?" He smiled and offered her his arm, which she gladly accepted. They walked down to the galley, and Bart held the door open for Lucy as she entered.

"Shiver me timbers." One of the younger crewmembers whistled when he noticed Plue hiding behind the blonde's leg. So far, the crew had only heard of her spirits, not seen them. Lucy then explained to them who Plue was and how she had contracts with her spirits. The poor spirit was shaking so hard, Lucy had to pick him up and comfort him. He was probably just intimidated by the unfamiliar faces.

"So you're their master?" A bulky man with a grey bandana around his head asked.

"Yes, but they are not my slaves. Unfortunately, some celestial spirit mages are too stuck-up to realize that and treat them like trash." Lucy shook her head with disgust and received some muttered agreements from the gathered men. The man in bandana, Ed, nodded his head, equally disgusted.

Lunch passed quickly and before she knew it, Lucy had acquainted herself with most of the crew. Plue had been a big hit among the sailors – especially with Bart and the cook. The crew consisted of some thirty members and reminded her of a big family, not colleagues. Lucy noticed that aside from her, there was no other female among them. Maybe they really believed that having women aboard was bad omen. Lucy found the thought amusing, but then again, if they really did believe the lore, they wouldn't have let her come along. She made a mental note to ask Bart about it later. The captain had asked her to have tea with him after dinner, where they would discuss the recent attacks on the ship.

So far, Lucy had spoken to the majority of the sailors and had found out that the Empress mostly freighted cargo for wealthy merchants and traders. The Empress was bound to get raided with valuable goods aboard. Lucy spent the next few hours getting to know the crew better and memorizing the layout of the ship. She was currently helping Ed bring some barrels to the galley from below deck.

"So, Ed, how long have you been on the Empress? It must be scary to be attacked so frequently." The blonde asked him curiously. As far as she could tell, he was one of the oldest crewmembers. Everyone respected him. She had started with calling him Ed-san, but he had asked her to drop the suffix right away.

"A decade or two, and 's nothing we can't handle." He answered bluntly and tried to balance a small barrel between those he had tucked under each arm. Lucy reached over and grabbed it herself. She was only carrying a medium-sized barrel of salt and didn't mind easing Ed's heavy load.

"That's a long time." She commented, throwing him a glance. He didn't look very old. He was probably in his late thirties, she estimated.

"Aye. I love being out at sea." He explained with a small smile. "I was only a wee lad when Captain Bart found me. I was an orphan, see? Me parents died when I was young. Worked for some horrible people and got into loads of trouble every day. The captain offered me a job and I've stuck around ever since." He pushed a door open with his shoulder and waited for Lucy to go in.

"That's so cute." Lucy giggled. Ed's eyes widened and he placed his barrels down on the floor. He pulled at the collar of his uniform and awkwardly cleared his throat. He clearly wasn't used to being called cute and had turned an interesting shade of red. Ed started scratching his arms, where his sleeves were dangling to distract himself from the inquiring gaze of Lucy.

"Is your uniform scratchy?" The blonde reached up and ran her fingers along the fabric on Ed's arm. It felt even more uncomfortable than it looked. Most of the crew had had their sleeves rolled up to their upper arms, so they wouldn't get in the way of their work. Ed's sleeves, however, seemed to have a mind of their own. They kept unrolling and ran down his arms. He was clearly very uncomfortable in his clothes. As were all the other crew members. Each and every one of them pulled at their uniforms every few seconds, some clawed at them while others just tried to get them out of the way. They also walked around rather stiffly.

"Very. We just bought these, actually. The old ones were… err-tattered pretty badly last time there was a-a storm. Yes, a very bad storm. The captain figured we get some new ones." He explained and pulled at the material, like he wanted to rip it off. He was so obvious.

"Getting used to clothes you usually don't wear is pretty tough." Lucy smiled sweetly. She was going to have fun with this.

"Aye…" Ed muttered quietly, still trying to keep his sleeves up.

"Here, let me help you." Lucy offered and reached for some hair pins in one of her pockets. Bobby pins always came in handy.

"There you go."

"Stars? Really? Now all the mates will think I'm a sissy." Ed chuckled, "Oh, well. They'll have to do for now." He picked up the barrels again and was just about to walk inside, when a voice stopped him.

"Ed! Get ye butt over here and help me unload." The cook, Romano, called from inside the kitchen.

"Yeah yeah, be right there. Geez!" He looked apologetically at Lucy and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well lass, I better help the little **landlubber** , before I lose my hearing. Why don't you take a look on deck, find some good spots for guarding, eh?" The older man suggested, readjusting his bandana.

"Got it." Lucy mock-saluted, making Ed cock a brow.

"I'll just get my jacket first."

"Just tell one of the lads to go get one for you." He told her. Bart had explained to her that she had a lot of authority, since he himself had hired her and she could practically order the crew around – in case of attacks for the most part.

"ED!" Romano shouted again. His slightly shrill voice made Ed and Lucy cringe.

"I'm coming you **son of a biscuit eater**!" Ed bellowed and stomped away angrily. Halfway through the door, he turned around and looked at Lucy, who was having trouble keeping from laughing. He was about to say something, but shook his head and gestured for her to go. Lucy let out a loud laugh. Son of a biscuit eater? Ed was a terrible actor. Even Happy would have been able to see through him. So far, the rest of the crew had done a better job than him, but they weren't good enough to fool Lucy.

Pulling herself together, Lucy headed out on deck and started thinking of strategies. She would have to ask Bart or Ed the details of each raid. That way, she would be able to determine what kind of enemies they were dealing with. She had a feeling, though, that they weren't some average bandits lurking around.

Lucy observed the silent crewmembers, who were minding their own business. She had expected them to be loud and all over the place. It was so unlike what she was used to back at the guild. If they kept this up, the whole trip would feel like a vacation for her – heaven knows she needed one! She was still sore from the previous weeks of insane training, but at least she would put it to good use.

Snapping back to the present, Lucy started walking along the railing. Enemies could climb up from anywhere, but Lucy had to find a spot, where she could oversee as big a portion of the deck as possible. After walking around a bit, she realized it was pointless and decided to move around whenever she kept watch. During the night, she could have either Loke or Virgo stay guard.

"That would probably be best. I'll ask Loke later." She mumbled, peering out over the dark water, almost expecting something to jump out of it. The sun had started setting a few minutes ago and Lucy's stomach was telling her to go inside and hunt for food, so inside she went. Just as she turned, she missed the unnaturally strong movement of the waves around the hull.

A dining area with lots of benches lined up on each side of a giant table was connected to the galley, where Romano prepared all the food. Taking a seat beside one of the younger crewmembers, Kai, and his brother Mateo, Lucy started chattering away. She was just telling them about her nakama; how scary Erza could be when she was pissed off when Bart and the rest of the sailors filed in.

Romano had cooked some sort of meaty stew and everyone was helping themselves to some and eating very carefully. It somehow reminded her of how her friends often made themselves at home in Lucy's apartment, and more often than not, raided her kitchen, which she told them. That and how she would brutally beat them if they made a mess whenever they ate at her place.

"Beat them up? That's so violent. I thought you only used cute spirits. Do you have something to tell me, Lucy?" Bart teased her.

"I was actually thinking the same thing. Do _you_ have something to tell _me_ , captain?" Lucy asked innocently. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, and she was having a blast.

"Like what?" He looked around at his thoroughly confused crew. Seeing the equally confused look on Bart's face, she decided to drop the bomb.

"Like the fact that I've been hired by pirates?" She asked nonchalantly. All kinds of noises immediately seized. The men around her either twitched or jerked their heads towards her. Jackpot.

"Pirates? I don't know what you are talking about." For a second, Bart looked very sincere, but Lucy knew better than to let him fool her. Did she really look that naïve?

"Please!" Lucy laughed. "You could outright have waved a black flag around, and it would have been less obvious than your crew pretending to be normal sailors." Bart stared at her with his mouth open for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

" **Splice the mainbrace** lads! We got ourselves a real jewel for a protector." The captain declared, accepting the mug of liquor handed to him. "Blimey Lucy! What gave us away?"

"The way you all spoke for the most part, but your new uniforms that you clearly weren't used to wearing and Ed's terrible, terrible acting. He didn't seem the least bit fazed by the raids or nervous about continuing." Lucy revealed and looked at Ed, who sheepishly averted his gaze.

"It was also pretty hard to miss the crates full of weapons and treasure chests below deck. But the most obvious signs, Bart, were the rings on your fingers and the sword at your side." She explained and almost started laughing again.

"Hmm… I may have underestimated your perception." He ran his fingers through his beard while speaking.

"Very well. Follow me, Lucy." Bart got up and led the blonde out of the galley, up to the second deck where the cabins were located. He opened a door and ushered Lucy inside what she guessed was his office. She didn't get to enter it, though.

The heavy thump of boots and the screaming of the lookout alerted her of intruders. Lucy whipped around, scanning the wooden surfaces in the dusk. It only took her a few seconds to figure out what was going on. She counted four enemies in front of her and two off to the side. They were standing completely still. Ed and some of the other crewmembers had suddenly joined her and were now assessing the situation. Armed with sabers or cutlasses, they circled the enemies, who had appeared out of nowhere. Bart had a hand on the hilt of his sword and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Lucy's hand on his arm.

"Ed, take the two on the left. We'll handle the rest." She ordered and pulled out her keys. Running forward, she summoned Virgo and started her attack. While Virgo took on two of the enemies, Lucy directed her attention to the remaining two and pulled out her whip. Smiling, she motioned for them to come closer and with a roar the bigger one lunged at her. Lucy lashed out and caught his arm, making him fall face first on the floorboards.

He got up and swung a short dagger at her, which she gracefully evaded, but was struck by his kick that had followed his first strike. He was fast. Lucy feinted a swerve of her whip and stepped in. With a swift kick to his stomach and a hard blow to his head, she knocked him out. Lucy looked up just in time to see her second enemy trying to sneak up on Virgo.

"Virgo, watch out!" She yelled and jumped forward.

"Aries!" Her outburst was enough to summon the ram, who immediately immobilized the enemy in a cloud of cotton. The man started squirming and yelling, but the more he moved, the more he got stuck. Virgo, having finished off her opponents threw them into the cotton ball and bowed deeply.

"Are you hurt, Lucy-san?" The ram asked her once she had secured all of the foes.

"No. Thank you, both of you." She smiled as she dismissed her trusted spirits. The Empress' crew stood gaping. They had just gotten the remaining two men and thrown them in front of Lucy, when they saw Aries and Virgo disappearing. Clearly impressed with the fluffy prison Aries left behind, they patiently waited for further instruction.

"Is that all of them?" Lucy asked and fastened her whip on her belt.

"Aye." Kai, one of the younger crew members replied. Lucy quietly observed the cotton ball. Something was off. Just as she finished the thought, a loud noise followed by an explosion blasted her backwards. Landing on her back, Lucy groaned as she sat up. She rubbed her head tenderly and got to her feet, while the pirates did the same. The sound of the fight had alerted the rest of the crew, who were now standing outside.

"Were did they go?" Lucy looked around. A few bits of cotton were all that was left of Aries' prison. Not even a scorched mark had been left on the floorboards. She figured they had jumped back into the ocean and moved over to the railing, but they were nowhere in sight. It was like they had been swallowed by the sea.

"They get away every time. They won't be back for a while." Kai muttered darkly from beside her and put a hand on Lucy's back, gently steering her back inside Bart's cabin. Lucy frowned, but didn't object. She needed to think this through carefully. Once the door closed behind her, she looked around Bart's office.

It was beautifully decorated with trinkets and maps all over the walls. He even had a huge bookcase beside his gorgeous mahogany table. Papers and maps were scattered all over it, waiting to be read and scribbled on. Bart gestured for Lucy to take a seat and sat down behind his desk. Heaving a sigh, he folded his hands together in front of him. Lucy watched him silently, but with a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm sorry about not being honest with you Lucy." He started with sad eyes. She could see he was genuinely bothered by keeping her in the dark.

"I understand if you don't want to stay with us any longer, but I assure you, our intentions weren't bad." He took a deep breath and looked around his spacious office.

"Truth be told, the recent attacks are bothering me. Such an occurrence has never happened before in my 50 years of being alive. I'm concerned about the safety of my crew, and I couldn't very well stroll into town and ask someone to escort us on such a dangerous journey." The captain explained wearily.

' _You could, actually.'_ Lucy thought to herself, but nodded her head and humored Bart.

"I just have a bad feeling about all of this." Bart confessed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Oh, well. I'll tell the first mate to turn the ship around. We can make it back to Magnolia by nightfall, or would you rather wait until tomorrow?" He asked and reached over to the side of the table to pour himself a drink. Lucy smiled at his kind offer.

"Actually, Bart, we had an agreement that you'd pay me 95,000 jewels a week for tagging along, and I'm not someone who goes back on her word." The blonde mage grinned at his surprised expression.

"So you don't care that we lied to you?" He asked with raised brows.

"Technically speaking, you never lied. You just didn't tell me the whole truth. You do freight cargo, just not the kind you'd expect, and you _are_ some sort of sailors. I assume it is treasure that needs to be traded, yes?" Lucy put her hand in her chin, humming thoughtfully, while Bart stared at her with a slightly baffled expression. Any sane person would have bolted by now.

"Yes, but are you really planning on staying?" He asked with a hint of concern lacing his voice.

"Are you kidding? I love pirates!" Lucy exclaimed with a huge smile.

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 **God, I cringed a few times when I read it over, but I didn't change anything. High-school-me would have been sad haha (=w=)/**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for your feedback! I am hoping more people will get interested from here on out. Updates will also become weekly!**

 **Sea legs: Ability to adjust one's balance to the motion of the ship.**  
 **addled: insane**

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"So far, I've been thinking that someone is targeting the goods you have aboard. Now that I know you are pirates, the option seems even more plausible. I need you to tell me more about the attacks." Lucy requested and leaned forward on the table. She was still inside Bart's office, and was waiting for the older man to pull himself together. Once he snapped out of his stupor, he started frowning instead, before calling Ed inside.

"I don't really know what to tell you. There have been no systematic attacks, and I'm pretty sure we haven't been attacked by the same people. The first time there were 13 men. The next attack was carried out by 7, and third time there were more than 8. The weird thing is that they appear out of nowhere and never take anything. They just… fight for a while and disappear." The bandana-clad pirate told her. Bart sighed again.

"Have any of the attacks happened near land?" The blonde questioned. The enemies from before fit the description; appeared out of nowhere, fought and disappeared. "And do they always disappear in an explosion?"

"No, they all happened when we were out in open waters. And the exploding was new. They usually just jump over the railing and disappear." Bart answered her. He seemed distraught and worry lines were etched into his face.

"Bloody hell…" Ed muttered angrily from the side.

"Is there any chance this is revenge for something?" Lucy wondered. It made sense. If The Empress' crew had plundered someone, they would most likely want revenge.

"Quite frankly lass, I have no idea." Bart shook his head dejectedly. He had a lot of enemies and they could all very well be out for his blood.

"It didn't seem like the attackers were connected. Most of them didn't even look like pirates." Ed piped up.

"They show up out of nowhere, but they don't take anything. They disappear afterwards, but aren't necessarily pirates." Lucy summarized. Tugging at the ends of her hair, she slumped back in her seat.

"Aye." Bart nodded. Lucy absorbed all of the information and started sorting it out. The possibilities were endless, but she had nothing to support any of her theories. Bart and Ed could almost hear the gears in her head turn. Ed locked eyes with the captain and subtly glanced at Lucy. Bart nodded his head with a small movement.

"Ahem, Lucy, you've had a long day. You should probably get some sleep." The captain suggested gently. Lucy was so immersed in thinking that she completely overheard him. After calling her name a few times, he looked helplessly over at Ed, who was starting to get annoyed.

"I just can't figure out what is going on," she exclaimed in frustration before continuing, "maybe they have been hired by a guild, but then again, they probably weren't mages either. I mean, they only attacked physically, but they could have saved their magic for last, like a trump card or something, but what if-"

"By all that is great and good, will ye stop thinking?!" Ed snapped Lucy's attention to him and crossed his arms expectantly.

"Ye can't solve the mystery in a few minutes. Think about it carefully, the answer will come to you." He added softly, when he saw Lucy's stunned look. Her expression softened as well and she nodded her head.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll head back." She mumbled and left Bart's office, wishing them goodnight. Ed was right, she couldn't solve this puzzle just yet, but it still bothered her to no end. Quietly entering her cabin, she headed straight for the desk and sat down with a sigh. She was starting to feel tired, but wanted to get some writing done. Maybe she could finish the chapter she had been working on before she left for camp.

Lucy found a pen and started writing. Words formed on the paper and her pen never stopped moving. She had completed a few pages, when someone knocked on her door. Lucy turned her head towards the door in confusion. She wasn't expecting anyone and wondered who it could be.

"Lucy-chan?" It sounded like Kai, but it was kind of muffled, so she wasn't entirely sure. She got up and opened the door to reveal Mateo, Kai's brother, awkwardly shuffling his feet.

"Hey. What's up?" She asked with a smile. She liked the brothers. Mateo was slightly older than her, while Kai was a year or two younger. They looked alike with the same dark hair and features. The only difference really was their eyes. Mateo had grey eyes, while Kai's were more of an amber or hazel color.

"Kai and I were about to get something to eat. Would you care to join us?" He politely asked. He hadn't really opened up to her like his brother had, but she didn't mind. He was more reserved and quiet than his brother, who was outgoing and possessed a great deal of boyish charm.

"Sure!" Lucy closed the door behind her and followed him out. He led her out on deck and down to the galley. The majority of the crew had gone below deck to get some shut-eye, while some were standing around here and there. Kai was waiting for them with a bowl of stew from dinner and some fruit.

"Hey Lucy!" He greeted with his mouth full.

"Hi." She replied and sat down across from him.

"Chew before you speak, nipper." Mateo chastised and slapped the back of Kai's head, to which Kai complained loudly in Piratese. The blonde had noticed that the majority of the crew spoke normally with the occasional pirate term thrown in here and there. She figured it was for their disguise as a normal trading ship, and didn't really question it.

Lucy watched the brothers bicker and held back a giggle. Mateo interacted so freely with Kai, probably because he was the only one the young pirate felt comfortable around. After a few insults being thrown back and forth, Lucy interrupted them and directed their attention back to their forgotten food. Kai immediately stuffed his face, while Mateo calmly took a bite of an apple.

"Nipper?" She laughed lightly. She had heard others call Kai nipper as well, and hadn't quite figured out what it meant yet. Lucy briefly considered composing a Pirate dictionary and pushed the idea to the back of her mind for when she had some free time on her hands.

"It's a length of rope we use to bind and anchor cable, but it's also used to describe a very young child. Kai, being the youngest on the ship, has been called 'nipper' ever since we got onboard." Mateo explained with a fond smile. Kai grumbled something under his breath, and decided to change the topic.

"How do you like the Empress so far?" He asked after swallowing a spoonful stew. His eyes were searching hers for answers, and he waited patiently for her reply.

"It's nice here." Lucy replied softly. Having spent the day with the crew, Lucy was certain she would enjoy the next few weeks onboard. She was glad she took on this job. Now she just had to figure out why they kept getting attacked. With two of the pirates sitting in front of her, she decided to gather more intel.

"The treasure that needs to be traded," she started, "is that by any chance something you dug up on an island?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Plundered a few ships on the way to Magnolia." Kai answered with a shrug. He didn't seem fazed at all.

' _He's a pirate, no wonder plundering doesn't get under his skin'_ Lucy mentally scolded herself.

"Ye think that's why we get raided?" Mateo asked her with a frown.

"Most likely." She sighed and rested her arms on the table. The brothers started discussing Lucy's theory and she silently listened. After a while, however, sleep crept up on her and she yawned. She remembered that she had to speak with Loke about keeping watch and summoned him.

"Gate of the lion, open."

"You called, princess?" Leo appeared in a puff of smoke and bowed dramatically. Kai and Mateo looked on in fascination after their initial shock passed.

"Not you too!" Lucy groaned. She had gotten used to Virgo calling her 'Princess', but she really preferred Lucy. She knew Loke was just teasing her, but she still found it annoying.

"Sorry, sorry. What can I do for ya?" The lion patted her head and smiled.

"Would you mind standing guard tonight?" Lucy asked as she filled him in on the job. She really wanted to sleep now. Her body was still aching from camp, but the fight earlier had made her feel tired all over again.

"No problem." Loke answered and winked, before leaving. Lucy smirked at the two pirates in front of her. They were staring after Loke in awe.

"Well, I'm off to bed." She had just gotten up from the bench when the ship abruptly cringed to one side. Lucy didn't lose her balance, just continued to the door, much to the brothers' amazement.

"She's got sea legs that one." Mateo commented, clearly impressed with the blonde mage.

"Aye." His brother nodded.

As Lucy made her way back to her cabin, she looked up at the clear sky and gazed at the stars. They were beautiful, twinkling like millions of diamonds. The view was great and Lucy knew she would enjoy it for as long as she was there. The water around the ship was relatively calm and softly rocked the ship from side to side.

' _Probably the rocking that's making me drowsy.'_ Lucy thought and opened the door. Once inside, she took a shower, changed and settled down in her hammock. The porthole let moonlight flow into her room and fall on her face, which she found comforting. It didn't take long for the mage to fall asleep, but she kept tossing and turning during her slumber.

When Lucy woke up the next morning, she felt groggy and a little stiff all over. She wasn't used to sleeping in a hammock, but she had to admit that rocking from side to side was pretty relaxing. Glancing outside the porthole, she watched the sunrise. It was incredibly beautiful, and for a moment, Lucy wished it would never end. Stretching, she got up and got ready for the day. Putting on something that allowed her to move around in case of attacks, she walked out of her cabin.

The deck was completely deserted. It was very early, and Bart had told her that the mates slept in whenever they could. Being a pirate meant getting little to no sleep for the most part. Gathering her hair in a ponytail, Lucy entered the galley, where she could hear someone moving about. Poking her head inside, she saw Romano pulling cupboards open all around the kitchen.

"Lucy! You're up early. Slept well?" The cook called when he noticed her standing.

"Yes, thank you." Lucy smiled as she took a seat and accepted the breakfast he served her. She ate her way through the huge bowl of porridge Romano had cooked, while chatting with him. Much like Kai, he was incredibly easy to talk to, and she felt at ease in his company.

"Ahoy!" The rest of the pirates started filing in one by one. Breakfast was over in a flash and everyone set about starting their task for the day. Lucy helped out where she could, but stayed on deck for the most part. A few times, she had felt a prickling at the back of her neck, but she was probably just feeling paranoid from the day before.

The time she spent figuring out why the Empress was being targeted was insane. She tried out different theories and discussed them with either Ed or Loke, but never got any further than her last try. It was frustrating and she felt restless. So far, it had been a quiet day and Bart had checked up on her a few times to make sure she wasn't overthinking, which she of course was. The captain had taken a liking to her and was very worried about her health.

"Why don't you go back inside, Lucy?" He asked her the third time he found her pacing along the railing. Lucy looked at him with a smile and insisted she was fine. Seeing his expectant look, she stopped pacing and laughed sheepishly. She also promised to stop thinking about the raids and to get some lunch.

"I have Squinty on the lookout." He informed her and ushered her to the dining area. Squinty was a slim man with lots of earrings, who usually spent his time in the crow's nest, squinting whenever he saw something. Lucy loved the nicknaming tradition on the Empress and most of the pirates went by their nicknames instead of their given names.

"Hey guys." She greeted the brothers and took a seat across from them. Kai greeted her happily, munching on a piece of bread, while his brother nodded his head. They had been early at lunch, and were almost done eating. The crewmembers all had different tasks to complete around the ship, so they were all hurrying.

"What are ye up to this fine day?" Kai grinned at her. Lucy told him how Bart had practically banned her from doing her job, and that she had one of her spirits on deck just in case. The training camp had really paid off. Lucy was now able to summon two spirits at a time without breaking a sweat. Her spirits had gotten a lot stronger too. Having one around throughout the day wasn't that much of a problem.

"I don't think there'll be an attack, but I'd rather not take any chances." She explained.

"Dagger thinks there's a ghost behind all of this." Mateo quietly told her, referring to one of the elder members.

"You mean like a ghost possessing people?" Lucy raised a brow. If there was a ghost or evil spirit behind the attacks, it would explain their enemies' behavior and the way they disappeared without trace. Now that she thought about it, they had been moving around mindlessly, like they were being controlled.

"I don't know, matey. Dagger saw something yesterday night. Maybe ye should try talking to him." The older one suggested. He wasn't as reserved as he had been the previous day and Lucy saw that as a good sign.

"I see." She replied thoughtfully, tapping a finger against her chin. Dagger was an elderly man, who stayed below deck most of the time. Bart had briefly introduced him and described him as a fountain of wisdom with a tongue too sharp for his own good.

"Did he get his name because his words can be like daggers?" She asked with genuine curiosity and amusement. Lucy had already been subjected to his wits during their first interaction and she secretly hoped to trump him with her own wit.

"Nay, the old seadog was stabbed in the head and some say a stump of the blade is still lodged in his skull." Mateo revealed with a smirk.

"Maybe that's why he's so smart." Kai jested and made them all laugh.

The blonde sat with the brothers for a while longer before leaving. Venturing outside to look for Dagger, Lucy frowned. Something wasn't right. The screeching of seagulls that had been audible ever since the sun rose had now completely died down. The sensation of Taurus being dispelled was what made Lucy throw herself sideways.

A hand shot out from nowhere and swiped at her face, managing to scratch her cheek and leaving a bloody trail behind. The hand was more like a metal claw that glinted in the sunlight. The claw belonged to a woman with tattered clothes, gold earrings and a cutlass at her hip. A pirate.

"Attack!" She yelled and several pirates jumped over the railing.

Lucy yelled for the crew as well and summoned Loke. Getting her whip out again, she dived straight in, which was very unlike her. Normally, she would let her spirits do the fighting, but as the sole mage on the Empress, she felt an obligation to keep the crew from harm. Lucy took on the female pirate, who seemed eager to fight her.

"What's a sweet thing like you doing on a ship like this?" She cooed with a malicious expression.

"Beating you, that's what." Lucy replied and knocked her out with a tug of her whip and a nice punch to her midriff. She felt cheesy saying that, but she was a novelist; she loved clichés.

"Lucy!" Kai and Mateo showed up beside her, swords in hand. Both were panting heavily after having left a trail of unconscious pirates in their wake. They worked incredibly fast.

"How many are there?" Lucy avoided a bulky man's sword and sent him crashing to the floorboards with a well-aimed kick. Looking around, Lucy noticed that only a handful of the Empress' crew was present. She prayed that the rest of the pirates had a plan and hadn't been taken captive while she was distracted. Ed had made an appearance and was fighting alongside the brothers.

"About a dozen." The bandana wearing pirate grunted. "Someone secure the captain!"

"You and Mateo stay here. Kai and I will find Bart." She instructed Ed. If anything happened to the captain, the rest of the pirates were sitting ducks.

"Aye!" Ed and Mateo jumped forward and stalled the enemies while Lucy and Kai slipped away. Fighting their way through the crowd, they reached the captain's cabin whose door had been blasted away. A dead enemy pirate's glassy eyes were staring blankly into space and blood was pooled around him.

"Captain!" Kai called out with his sword raised in front of him. His eyes swept the room before he turned back to Lucy with a scowl. Sweat was dripping down his face and he was all jittery and jumpy.

"He's gone." Kai slammed his fist into the bare doorframe. His eyes shone with worry and anger, and it made Lucy realize just how much Bart meant to his crew. Her lips formed a thin line and she thought of the possible places he could be. He had most likely joined the fight or been taken prisoner. The two of them ran outside again and tried finding the captain in between all of the fighting, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Incoming!" Kai's and Lucy's heads whipped up just in time to see Bart swinging down from the mast with a wide grin on his face. The mage and the pirate watched in awe as the captain kicked down anyone standing in his way, before gracefully landing on his feet.

"Captain?" Lucy questioned with uncertainty. He didn't seem injured.

"Ye didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, eh?" Bart roared with laughter, before stepping to the side and ramming his elbow into an enemy's gut. He unsheathed the sword at his side and waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Of course not, captain." Lucy laughed - the chaos around her all but forgotten. She really shouldn't have been surprised. He was, after all, a pirate.

Bart waved his hand and the rest of the Empress pirates appeared with shouts of glee and anticipation. They were all armed heavily and quickly overpowered the enemy. Lucy left Bart and joined the fight on the main deck, where she subdued quite a few pirates, before she spotted Kai in a pinch. Two pirates were attacking him viciously from both sides.

The blonde mage all but sprinted over to her pirate friend and took out one of the enemies from behind. Kai rammed his sword into the second pirate's stomach and swiftly pulled it out again. With his precision the wound would be fatal anyway. He muttered a quick thanks and turned around to clean off his weapon. There weren't many opponents left, so Lucy rounded up the rest.

She was breathing heavily by the time she was done and her whole body ached. Kai had returned after checking up on the rest of the crew, there were no casualties and very few injuries overall. The same couldn't be said for the enemies. They had lost nearly half their men to the Empress' crew

"I don't think these pirates have anything to do with the other attacks." She told the younger of the brothers. When he raised a brow at her, she continued. "We are no closer to figuring out who keeps attacking."

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 **Do you think I should change the summary? It isn't all that enticing haha (=w=)/**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, I couldn't stop from uploading again! Also, the pirates and the Empress are based on the One Piece universe, but I am working on more historically accurate mannerisms for them all. This is one of my favorite chapters, so enjoy!**

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A few hours had passed since the previous enemy attack. After a short interrogation Bart and Lucy had concluded that the pirates were normal pirates set to plunder. Ed had explained Lucy that the waters they would be sailing through were scarcely patrolled by the navy and a lot of raids happened out here. They would be passing a port in Caelum in a few days and attacks would be fewer.

Ed and Bart got rid of the enemy pirates and Lucy returned to her cabin for a few minutes. Her clothes were sweaty and she needed to wash off any blood she had gotten on them. After a quick shower, the blonde left her cabin and went below deck where the crew slept. She had been on her way to see Dagger when the pirates attacked and finally had the chance to go see him. She was curious as to what the old man had seen. Maybe he had some clues for solving the mystery of the attacks.

Lucy made her way below deck and found a lot of hammocks strung to different poles and beams. In the far back, she could make out the dim light from a candle. Taking a few steps forward, she almost stepped on a bundle of clothes and carefully trekked through the littered floorboards.

"Dagger?" She called out nervously. There was something about being below deck that made her uncomfortable - and it wasn't just the smell of man. There was hardly any light and anyone from the enemy crew could have snuck down here sometime during the fight. Lucy had to remind herself that even though Dagger was old, he was still a pirate, and she doubted that he'd go easy on enemies.

"Over here, lass." A raspy voice called out from the far back of the room. Lucy approached the back wall slowly, careful of where she was setting her feet.

"Where are you?" She asked out loud. There was a snicker and a cloth fell down from between two huge crates. It was so tightly strung between them that it looked like there was a third crate in the middle. Lucy had to admire the old man's cunning. He was completely concealed from view. Being old and frail, he was physically unable to fight, but being able to hide himself that well was most likely what had gotten him so far.

"An old man's gotta do what an old man's gotta do." He snickered. He reached his hands towards Lucy, so that the blonde could help him up. Carefully pulling him up, Lucy asked if he was hurt.

"Nay lass, only me back is giving up." He rubbed his back with a wrinkly hand and stretched carefully.

"Get me to the galley, will ye?" Lucy nodded and led him back up and towards the galley. On the way back, she explained her thoughts to him about there being a system in the random attacks. She asked for his opinion and what he had seen the night before.

"Something fishy is going on, lassie. Me eyes be old, but never deceive. A ghost is haunting the ship and it makes the sea wail. Ever noticed the weeping of the waters? Aye, no human can do that. Someone will feed the fish, and better not be this seadog."

"Feed the fish?" Lucy asked. It didn't sound very innocent. It sounded rather ominous, she decided.

"Someone will die, lass." She was right.

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It had been hours since Lucy had spoken to Dagger and she was at a standstill. His words had been ominous, but there was something bothering her. If a ghost was controlling a large amount of people, it had to be incredibly powerful. Was it after the entire crew then? Could be an old crew member or lifelong enemy? Lucy sighed and slumped over the railing. She was still on watch, so she would have to ask Bart later. She had dispelled her spirits and opted for keeping watch on her own to conserve her magic.

"Hey Lucy!" Kai popped up beside her with a huge grin on his face. His golden eyes were shining from excitement.

"Hi." Lucy raised a brow at him and waited for him to talk.

"You were amazing earlier! I didn't know you could fight so well." Kai praised her.

"Aye, we were both surprised." Mateo appeared on her other side. He greeted her with a tiny smile.

"Thank you." She beamed. Being so used to her own skill, Lucy never considered how others saw her, but the fruit of her hard work was finally showing.

"Did you find Dagger?" Mateo asked her. He was curious as to what Lucy thought about the possibility of a ghost.

"I did. He saw something dark float over the deck, and it disappeared the second he stepped closer. I'm thinking it's an evil spirit or someone with ties to the Empress. Do you know of any previous crew members that would want to harm the crew? Someone who died with a grudge or anger towards the Empress or the crew?" The blonde asked the brothers. She immediately felt the mood drop and the older of the two tense beside her.

"No." Mateo stated bluntly and turned on his heel. Lucy stared after him with confusion.

"Did I say something wrong?" She asked Kai. He was looking incredibly dejected as he shook his head.

"Not really. You just… Mateo, he… err… ye see, the reason we joined the captain was because our mother was sick an' our father had left us. He used to be part of this crew, but only Bart and Ed know. He betrayed Bart long ago and ran away like a dog. Bart knew our mother and came to visit often. Then she fell ill." Kai's eyes darkened and his jaw tightened.

"It was the same disease that took our sister from us. We had a little sister, ye see? So bubbly and full of life, but one day, she couldn't get up. She withered like a flower and one day she was dead, just like that." His eyes glistened and Lucy could hear the raw pain in his voice. He must have loved his sister dearly and in that moment she could truly see how young Kai was.

"I'm so sorry…" Lucy whispered and took his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze and Kai smiled mournfully.

"My mom knew she wouldn't make it. She recognized the symptoms long before we did and for months she would play it off as just being tired. Bart came to us when she was at her worst. He offered to take us in and mom told us to go with him. Mateo was too ashamed to accept. He was embarrassed by our father and felt so humiliated over Bart taking pity on us."

"But Bart would never-" Lucy started, but Kai stopped her.

"Aye, Cap'n only did it from the goodness of his heart, but try explaining that to a boy who has been abandoned by his father. I guess he'll always feel that he owes Bart." Kai shrugged and looked out over the ocean. Lucy felt bad for the brothers, but at the same time, she felt a new connection to them - one of understanding. She could relate to what Kai had told her and she understood why Mateo was cautious around others. Why he had never opened up to others.

"Our father was jealous of Bart and tried to start mutiny several times. When that failed, the bastard leaked secrets to one of Bart's enemies and nearly got the captain killed. We'll never forgive him for abandoning us, but Mateo, he despises him, wants to feed him to the fish actually." Kai grinned. He was back to his usual cheery self and reminded Lucy a little of Natsu.

"I see. I'm sorry for bringing it up." Lucy turned her head towards where Mateo had disappeared to. She guessed he was seeking solace behind the cabins or in the crow's nest.

"Don't be, ye couldn't have known. He'll be fine, just needs some time to cool down." Kai patted Lucy's arm and smiled warmly. He then helped Lucy keep watch and discussed her theories with her again. The sun started setting and Kai had to take care of his other duties. Waving at the blonde mage he left her alone with her thoughts.

Lucy summoned Virgo and Aries and had them watch, while she left to get something to eat. Romano had cooked something that reminded her of meatballs in a sauce with a serving of rice to the side. As always he kept her entertained and explained his cooking to her. With a glint in her eye the blonde rose from her seat.

"I shall take my leave then." Lucy exaggerated her exit after finishing her meal.

"No, fair maiden, please humble me with your company, I am but a servant not worthy of your grace."

"Farewell servant." Lucy laughed and made her way back outside. Checking in with her spirits, she decided to walk around the deck again. Being on scouting duty was rather boring, she found.

' _I'll ask Capricorn to do some extra training tomorrow.'_ Lucy thought. Getting some extra training in wouldn't hurt and now she could focus on herself only. That had been the purpose of the whole mission. She briefly wondered what her friends at the guild were up to. Erza had been taking S-class missions again recently, so Natsu and Gray were definitely taking requests resembling S-class.

Lucy caught a glimpse of something in the water to her left and stopped mid-stride. Sea monsters weren't uncommon, so Lucy quietly watched the surface for a few seconds. It had looked like something scaly disappearing underwater. Her muscles were tense as she warily watched the surface of the water. She could have sworn she had seen a pair of glowing, red eyes.

"Lucy?" Mateo's surprised voice sounded from behind her. Lucy spun around startled. She had nearly pulled her whip loose from her belt, but loosened her grip on the weapon, when she recognized Mateo's voice.

"You surprised me." She admitted with an embarrassed smile. Mateo was sitting on the floorboards with his back resting against the walls of the cabins and had his legs bent in front of him.

"Sorry." He muttered and returned his attention to something between his hands. He was fiddling with a frayed piece of rope, twisting and pulling it, forming several knots across its length.

"What are you doing?" She asked him and cautiously took a seat beside him. His eyes flashed in her direction for a moment and then returned to the rope again.

"Tying knots." He answered bluntly. Lucy watched his fingers as they easily maneuvered the rope around his hands. He was skilled, that much she could tell. His silvery eyes shone in the weakening light. The sun had almost set and bathed the two in a warm orange glow.

"Kai told you about our mother." The pirate concluded more than guessed, his hands tying away. Lucy guessed it was his coping mechanism, since it had seemed to calm him a little, considering the fact that he was actually speaking to her. The blonde nodded in reply.

"She used to have a picture of him in a frame beside her bed. I have his eyes." He spoke quietly, but Lucy could detect the underlying rage and pain in his words. He was hurting much more than he let on.

"…I was always told I'm the spitting image of my mother." Lucy confessed. She had a feeling he needed to hear about her family, before he would understand that Lucy more or less knew how he felt.

"Where is she now?" Mateo asked slowly. He had an inkling of the answer, but waited for her reply anyway.

"She died when I was little." Lucy smiled sadly. She remembered the days she spent by herself, while her dad worked in his office. All the tears she had shed by herself and all of the time she had spent with her mother's spirit as her only company. Her fingers ghosted over the keys hooked to her belt and she could almost feel the faint hum of magic in response.

"My father locked himself away in his office. For years his business was his life. I ran away when I was seventeen and joined Fairy Tail, and he only remembered me when he hired a guild to kidnap me, so he could arrange my marriage for his political gain. Fairy Tail had become my new family by then." Lucy felt a tugging at her heart at the memory of entering the guild for the first time.

"Blimey." Mateo sounded genuinely surprised. Lucy giggled a little at his response. It got quiet between the two. Lucy stared at the vast ocean and it hit her how much she missed her friends. She could feel her companion's eyes on her, silently observing her form.

"When you laugh, you remind me of our sister, Elyana." Mateo told her. His hands were completely still now. Lucy was shocked that he would share something so personal with her and was about to respond when she heard boots on the floorboards.

"It's true." Kai appeared from around the corner, carrying a plate of food for Mateo. He handed his brother the plate and sat down in front of the two. Lucy put her head sideways in wonder.

"Really?" She was tempted to ask them about her, but decided it would be rude and had to be something they would tell her of their own accord.

"Aye." Kai grinned and stretched his arms above his head. It had been a few hours since he had gone off to help on the ship.

"Ye done scrubbing the deck, nipper?" Mateo teased his brother. He was back to his usual self and Lucy smiled inwardly at his display of affection for Kai.

"Devil take you Mateo!" Kai growled with narrowed eyes, which only made his older brother laugh. It was the first time Lucy heard Mateo laughing so freely and she couldn't help but feel a smile forming on her own lips. It was a nice sound. Kai was relieved to have his brother back, so he cursed under his breath, but with a smile on his face nonetheless.

"We'll reach New Caelum tomorrow night Lucy. We'll take ye with us." Kai announced excitedly. He was smiling so brightly it almost blinded her. Kai loved the marketplaces around the port. They had docked there a few times before and he knew his way around. He couldn't wait to show Lucy his favorite spots.

"Sounds great." Lucy nodded. She was looking forward to being on land again. She enjoyed being at sea, but wouldn't mind a couple of hours on solid ground again.

"Aye, there'll be booze onboard again tomorrow." Mateo mused. Lucy briefly wondered if the parties on the Empress were anything like the parties back in the guild. She would have to wait and see. She sat with the brothers for a while, before deciding she should go back to her room. Once inside, the blonde couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She knew there was nothing to do other than wait for the ship to make it to New Caelum, but that didn't keep her from covering the porthole in her cabin.

The following day went by without any incidents happening, other than the crew being restless about reaching the port. The story of the Empress being haunted had spread and some of the men were feeling rather antsy. Lucy had summoned Capricorn during the day and had him practice her ability to keep three gates open at once without draining her.

"Breathe slowly and feel your magic around you," he instructed, "now take the magic and mold it. Push it outwards and keep it balanced. Don't focus on one point, feel all of it. Your magic can be extended even farther, Lucy, but for now, this is enough." He praised her. By the time they were finished practicing, Lucy was panting. She could now summon Virgo while having Aries or Leo out as well. One of them had to stand still though.

The rest of the day, Lucy tried to relax by keeping watch. She had dreamt about evil, red eyes ripping her apart and they still haunted her. What if there really was a ghost after the crew and it now saw her as a threat? Lucy had spoken to Bart and he had mentioned a few old pirates who left for one reason or another. Some of them died during battles and had their coffins set to sea, but none of them died with a grudge. She was lost in thought when Ed approached her and told her to take the night off once they hit land.

She was escorted by the brothers and they had a great time walking around the marketplaces. They had great food and there was music playing. The port was busy as ever, and while the Empress restocked, the trio traded with the merchants here and there. Lucy bought a new belt for her keys with a tricky click-on mechanism that made her the only one able to remove them. The vendor insisted she take a set of bathing salts with her free of charge. He had found her incredibly charming and gifted her generously.

Lucy spent the evening laughing alongside her two new friends and forgot all about ghosts and red eyes. She was almost sad to leave the port and continue towards Green Bit. She had really enjoyed spending time with Kai and Mateo and they had had so much fun. Lucy decided that if she ever needed a vacation, it would be somewhere around New Caelum. The brothers had taken her into town and showed her how beautiful it was.

Getting back on the Empress, Lucy stopped feeling bad for herself and joined the party that was thrown. She learned to dance a jig and alternated between dancing with Kai, Mateo and Bart. The stellar spirit mage had left Taurus on deck, though she didn't expect any attacks for a while.

Two more days passed without anything happening. Lucy had spent her time guarding and helping Romano in the kitchen and just spending time with the crew. She especially enjoyed her talks with Dagger. He would come up while she was on guarding duty and tell her stories of his younger days. What amazed the blonde mage the most was how wise and philosophical the old man was. Bart's description of him had been spot on, and more than once, Lucy had been rendered speechless by the old pirate.

That day, he hadn't shown up and it was close to midnight. Lucy guessed he had fallen asleep or was busy doing whatever old pirates did, so she didn't give it much thought. She had once again been having nightmares about the scaly creature she had - almost - seen a couple of days prior. It had terrorized her dreams again that night and she could have sworn she heard a wailing throughout the night, but none of the crew had heard it.

Kai and Mateo were worried she was getting sick and hallucinating. They had offered to let her sleep in the hammock beside theirs, but Lucy had kindly passed up that offer, claiming she wouldn't be able to stand the smell of the crew gathered below deck.

Lucy had been walking along the railing when she noticed a thin fog creeping up. The night sky had been clear just a few minutes earlier so it could only mean one thing. Enemies. Scanning her surroundings, Lucy looked for a spot where she wouldn't be as exposed to attacks. The fog was dense now and she could barely make out the lanterns near the cabins.

Lucy briefly considered summoning her spirits, but decided she would wait until she had a count of the attackers. Her spirits could very well be the deciding factor of the fight and she wanted to have the element of surprise on her side. Lucy had her whip ready and was listening closely to the sounds. Now that her vision was blurred, she would have to rely on her hearing and instincts.

She jumped to the side when she heard the floor creak in front of her and barely dodged the punch her attacker threw. It was a male, she could tell from his silhouette and it didn't seem like he was carrying weapons, but she took no chances. She snapped her wrist and caught the arm of her attacker with her whip, pulled him in and kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could.

He grunted in pain and tried to get his arm free, before he lunged in Lucy's direction. He only grazed her, but he could throw a hell of a punch. Lucy lost her balance and wobbled backwards while trying to see her opponent, but he was fast and aimed a kick at her ankles. Lucy fell with a shriek, but rolled away and jumped up again. Her attacker was behind her and caught her arm, trying to punch her again, but Lucy was small and fast. She wriggled free of his grasp, grabbed hold of his arm and threw him over her shoulder. He landed with a thump in front of her, but back flipped insanely fast.

He punched again and Lucy dodged again. They repeated this pattern a few times. By now, Lucy was sure he was alone, so she decided to take him out by herself. She cracked her whip again and caught his legs, sending him straight to the floorboards.

"Damn it!" He hissed angrily, the sound muffled by the floorboards. His legs were locked and Lucy was ready to deliver the final blow, when she heard him cry out.

"Ice make: Floor!" The floor froze instantly and Lucy barely managed to jump back. Ice make?

" _Gray?!_ " She squeaked loudly. There was no mistaking his voice or his magic. Still lying on the floor, his head snapped towards her voice.

"What the- Lucy?!"

* * *

 **How do you like the cliffhanger? Until next time (=w=)/**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: In my opinion Lucy's character was underrated in the series, so in this fic she is in te spotlight constantly and I'm trying to evolve her as a character. I mean, she was pretty badass throughout the manga, but I feel like people don't see enough of her strenght. Also, what do you think Gray is doing here?**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Lucy was astounded. She helped Gray up, hugged him quickly and checked for any wounds she could have inflicted. Luckily, Gray only had a few bruises. It was hard not to squint in the semi thick fog she assumed Gray had conjured.

"I'm on a mission. Why are you on a pirate ship Lucy? These people are dangerous! Are the others with you?" Gray was shocked to see his friend - alone at that. Lucy shook her head.

"I took a request by myself." She offered as an explanation and started dragging him along. They hadn't made too much noise and Lucy hadn't called for help, so hopefully none of the pirates would show up, but she still had to get Gray out of the way. The pirates would without a doubt see him as an enemy and she hoped she could prevent the bloodbath that was bound to follow.

"Where are we going?" The ice mage asked and followed suit. He was a little disoriented, but the fog was now letting up. He stumbled along the slippery floor as Lucy pulled him forward and nearly crashed into her twice.

"Somewhere private…" Lucy muttered under her breath. They hurried to her cabin and she quietly shut the door behind her. Trying to gather her thoughts, Lucy stood with her back pressed to the door.

"What's going on Lucy?" Gray looked around the room warily. He could recognize some of Lucy's belonging and assumed this was where she was staying.

"This ship is frequently under attack and the enemies disappear mysteriously, so I've been hired to protect it and figure out why." She summarized quickly. She then turned and looked at him with suspicion.

"Why are you here? Weren't you on a mission of your own?" The blonde waited for an answer.

"I'm on a mission to retrieve something stolen from a nobleman. What do you mean disappear mysteriously?" Her dark-haired friend wanted to know. He vaguely remembered some drunken old men in town mention something like that in passing a few days earlier.

"As in they appear out of nowhere, attack and are gone without a trace in a second." Lucy sighed.

"Do you have any leads on the cause? Any theories?" Leave it to Gray to become involved in her mission in a second, Lucy thought, a little amused.

"One of the crew members saw a ghost the other night, so I was thinking someone who died with a grudge or an evil spirit is haunting them." She told him. Lucy's theory made Gray shut up and freeze for a second.

"What if there's a cursed object onboard?" He asked her and Lucy felt shivers run down her spine. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She had to talk to Bart immediately.

"You're a genius! I'm gonna go talk to the captain. You should come with me, Gray. Maybe you can strike a deal with Bart or something." Lucy suggested and hurried out of the door. She could hear her teammate ask who Bart was as he followed her to the captain's office.

* * *

"So Gray suggested that there could be a cursed object among your loot." Lucy explained in haste. She had been lucky that Bart was still awake, when she appeared and frantically, albeit quietly, knocked on the door to his office. It had taken her a couple of minutes to explain why Gray was on the Empress and Bart had been impressed that he managed to sneak up on the blonde mage.

"That could very well be, but how do we find out what it is?" Bart questioned. There was a lot of treasure on board and frankly, he had no idea how they would determine what was cursed and what wasn't.

"We'll have to look for traces of magic. If the objects are possessed by an evil spirit we could try to destroy it. The spirit will most likely react to the threat and reveal itself. Or if someone has cast a curse on something, we could try pouring holy water over it." Lucy offered. She had read a lot about curses and was pretty confident she could prepare holy water by herself.

Gray looked over at his friend from where he was leaning against the wall. He had opted for standing up while Lucy spoke with the captain, since he technically speaking was interfering with her mission. He had been a little wary of the pirate captain, but he seemed to pose no threat to either him or Lucy. On the contrary, it seemed like he trusted Lucy a lot and valued her opinion. For some reason it felt odd to see her get along with a pirate captain.

Gray watched as Lucy discussed a plan with the captain, but wasn't really listening to what they were saying. He was more focused on the fact that there was something different about his blonde friend. She seemed more… confident.

' _Of course she does, she has been training like crazy and is on a hard mission by herself.'_ Gray reasoned with himself. He had seen Lucy's improvement with her magic just under an hour ago, and if he remembered correctly none of Lucy's spirits had been present, because she could handle him herself.

The ice mage glanced in her direction again, noticing that she seemed completely calm now - not even out of breath. She showed no signs of her magic being drained, and he wondered just how much she had powered up the past couple of months.

"Gray-kun, was it?" Bart addressed him from across his table. The ice mage nodded his response and stepped closer. The captain seemed like a reasonable man and Gray kind of wanted to hear what he had to say.

"How would you like to remain at the Empress for the duration of our journey? I will of course pay you the same as Lucy is getting paid and throw in the treasure you are looking for in return for you helping Lucy." The pirate captain requested.

They only had about a week or two's travel left, but Bart felt it would be beneficial to have more than one mage on board. On top of that, Gray and Lucy were used to working together and Bart had just witnessed how quickly Lucy came up with a possible solution for their problem with the help of Gray.

"I don't really mind as long as I can complete my other mission." Gray shrugged nonchalantly.

The nobleman Gray was currently working for had told him to use as much time as he needed, as long as he found and returned the object to him. It was an important heirloom or something. He had already spent more than a week tracking the Empress and figured it would be easier to just go along with Bart's conditions rather than fighting all the pirates - and Lucy - to retrieve it and escape. He had a feeling it would be harder than he thought, so he agreed to help.

"Welcome aboard, Gray-kun." Bart exclaimed with a huge smile stretched across his lips.

* * *

"So you just stand around all day?" The ice mage asked his blonde friend in exasperation after hearing her describe her previous week. He was already dreading guarding duty.

"Well, I usually help out where I can, but for the most part yes. I have also taken to train with Capricorn during the day." Lucy explained Gray. She felt like laughing at his expression of mild horror, but decided to let it be.

Gray had been offered a cabin of his own, but had declined in favor of sharing Lucy's. He was wary of the pirates and had shared rooms with Lucy loads of times, so he was much more comfortable with that option. She even had two hammocks in her room, so it played out perfectly. They had returned to their room and were catching up, before going to sleep. Lucy was sitting by the desk and Gray was lounging in the hammock - which he found oddly comfortable to lie in.

"Wait, you set out the day before I did. What have you been doing in the meantime?" Lucy suddenly remembered. Gray wasn't the type to loiter around and she wanted to know how he managed to find the Empress.

"Oh, it took a while to reach my client and other than that, I've been tracking this ship. Visited lots of bars before I found someone who knew of the captain," he started explaining, "and the guy told me he had heard rumors of the Empress hiring a mage for protection and were headed for Joya."

"Well, he got some of it right, but we aren't going to Joya." Lucy laughed lightly. It was amazing how fast word spread.

"Yeah. I was lucky some of the sailors in New Caelum pointed out the ship. I just told them I wanted to join the crew. I was quite shocked to find you, though. How come you are alone?" The ice mage managed to prop himself up on his elbow while swinging slightly. He figured it would take a little more time to get used to the constant rocking, even if he found it soothing.

"…To be honest, I had considered taking some jobs by myself for a while. After camp I wanted to see how much I had improved, but it was actually Wendy's idea." The blonde confessed. She didn't mind telling Gray. He wouldn't judge her for taking a few requests on her own; rather he would feel bad for crashing her job.

"That girl is too cunning for her own good." Gray groaned. Noticing the smirk on Lucy's face, he looked away in embarrassment and stared out of the porthole instead.

"Sounds like you're still bitter over her tricking you into a job." Lucy teased with sparkling eyes. Wendy had wanted to take part in a seminar on healing magic as a guest speaker, but being a minor, she couldn't participate without a guardian and since she was an orphan it ended with Gray becoming her "older brother".

"She was way too convincing!" He tried to defend himself, but failed miserably when Lucy burst out laughing. She shook her head a little before clearing her throat. She could feel fatigue creep up on her and decided to call it a day.

"Anyways, we should get some sleep. I'm an early riser." The blonde declared and started getting ready for bed. Crawling into her hammock, she reached over and turned off the little oil lamp installed on the wall.

"Sure thing." Gray quietly bid her goodnight and shut his eyes, before succumbing to the darkness of the cabin.

* * *

"-ay. _Gray._ " A hand appeared in front of his face and jolted him from his thoughts. He hadn't noticed Lucy suddenly standing in front of him. She looked a little amused at having startled him. He felt like she had been having way too much fun at his expense since the previous night.

"W-what?" He stuttered, feeling his face heat up. Lucy raised a brow at him, wondering if he was sick. He had been acting weird all day, almost distant.

"Are you feeling sea sick?" She asked and put a hand on his forehead, checking for fever. It had been cold last night, so he could easily have gotten ill. Retracting her hand she watched as he slowly shook his head.

"No, just didn't sleep much." He sighed and leaned his head back with his eyes closed. Gray had had an awful night. He couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did, and the rocking of the ship had made him feel uneasy after a couple of hours. Maybe he really was sea sick. The ice mage had spent the day getting acquainted with the crew and the ship, but had also been standing guard most of the time.

Lucy had introduced him to the two referred to as the Twin Blades, Kai and Mateo. He had liked the younger one better than the older. There was some sort of hostility around Mateo, which only disappeared around his brother and lessened in the presence of Lucy. Gray didn't mind, he was fine as long as Mateo didn't get in his way.

"God, I'm so _bored_ I'm missing Natsu!" He complained loudly. Lucy had taken a seat on the floor and stretched out her legs. Gray plopped down next to her and pouted.

"I can entertain you." She offered kindly. She was having a blast with annoying him every few minutes.

"If you suggest playing 'I spy with my eye' one more time, I'll strangle you." Gray hissed menacingly. He had lost count of how many times they had played the stupid game already, but one thing was for sure, if Lucy mentioned it again, he'd have to get physical.

"Well, how about playing a game of Truth then?" The blonde laughed. She too, was starting to get bored and she had already had her daily training session with Capricorn. She was steadily improving, but was careful not to exhaust herself.

"Truth?" She had piqued his interest. It sounded like a simple game, but knowing Lucy, there could very well be a twist.

"It's like truth or dare, but without the dares. In short, we ask each other questions and have to be honest about answering." Lucy summarized. She remembered playing this as a child and how she would interrogate the house keepers for hours on end.

"Alright then. You go first." Gray briefly considered the drawbacks of a game where he had to be brutally honest. They could easily touch on very private topics, but he figured Lucy knew him well enough not to overstep his boundaries.

"How many fights has Natsu won against you?" Well, she didn't go easy on him.

"…It's pretty even. He has two victories over me this month." Gray grudgingly admitted. He took his rivalry with the dragon slayer pretty seriously, not that he would ever admit it. Or maybe he would have to with this new game. Goddammit.

"Do you really keep record of all your fights?" Lucy laughed. She would never have pegged Gray as the type to keep track of things like that. Then again, the ice mage had a tendency to surprise people.

"Hey that's two questions!" Gray objected while thinking out a question for Lucy. Since she hadn't specified any rules, he had quite a bit of leeway and could easily ask her embarrassing questions.

"During camp, you were the one who was hoarding snacks, right?" He asked triumphantly. He had a suspicion it was her even though she had denied it before.

"…Yes." He was starting to like this game.

A few hours passed with the two mages playing several games of Truth and walking around the deck. So far, Lucy had gotten Gray to admit that he loved cooking, his favorite dessert was cupcake frosting and that he preferred long showers over baths among others. She in turn had to reveal that she was scared of spiders, hated folding laundry and that she loved citrusy scents over floral. It felt so nice to share small details of their lives and it killed a lot of time.

"Ahoy Sweetcheeks!" Lucy froze when she heard Ed walk up behind her. She slowly turned around and spotted Kai and Mateo, each with a hint of a smile on their faces, standing next to the bandana clad pirate, who was sporting a wicked grin. With all of the scars on his face it looked terrifying, but the mirth in his eyes took it away.

"Ahoy?" She questioned, not really knowing what the pirates were up to. One thing was certain; they all had a mischievous glint in their eyes. Lucy glanced at Gray who looked on with an expression of mild interest.

"What are ye up to this fine day, Sweetcheeks?" Kai queried while the corner of Mateo's mouth lifted. Kai slung his arm around her shoulders and beamed.

"The usual." Lucy gulped. Now she knew where this was headed and prayed she wouldn't embarrass herself completely.

"Sweetcheeks?" Gray chuckled from beside her. He raised a brow at Lucy's bewildered expression and knew he was in for a good laugh. The older pirate came swooping in with an explanation.

"Ye see lad, we threw a party the other night an' Sweetcheeks here was the guest of honor. Of course there was plenty of rum, but who knew lassie here could hold 'er liquor like a sailor?" Ed roared with laughter.

"Aye, she challenged half the crew to a drinking contest an' won," Kai started explaining, "by the end of the night, Lucy's cheeks were blazing from drinking an' her smile wouldn't disappear. So the cap'n named her Sweetcheeks, now a part of the crew." He poked Lucy's cheek with a finger.

"Shut up…" The blonde mage grumbled. Her memory was a little jumbled, but she remembered dancing and singing and drinking way more than she should have. She couldn't remember the last time she had let loose like that and was secretly hoping there would be more parties while she was there.

"Romano's been asking where you've been all day. Says he wants to see yer pretty smile." Kai teased mercilessly. He hadn't seen Lucy all day and was in a terrific mood, so he would do whatever he could to make her squirm.

"Don't you have some ropes to organize _nipper_?" Lucy snapped, not being able to stop her cheeks from heating up.

"There it is!" Ed grinned triumphantly, making Lucy cover her face with her hands and making the pirates and Gray laugh at her. Enduring a few more minutes of teasing, Lucy and Gray were once again left to stand guard.

"Sweetcheeks, huh?" Gray smirked. He actually found the name rather cute and befitting of his teammate.

"Not you too!" Lucy wailed in despair. The last thing she needed was for Gray to spread the nickname at the guild, she would never hear the end of it.

"I think it suits you." He assured with a small smile and patted her head to which Lucy pouted.

"Hey, you want to do some light sparring?" She suddenly suggested. Gray was taken aback by her request, but had nothing better to do, so he agreed. Positioning themselves, they took a few seconds to strategize. What nagged Gray was that Lucy hadn't reached for any of her keys yet. He knew she was more than capable of opening the gates without the keys now, but he had a hard time guessing who she would choose.

There was also the possibility that she would attack with her whip first and then summon Virgo or Aries for the first attack. Lucy's preferred strategies were mostly based on wearing down her enemy, while switching out her spirit frequently, so it was likely that she would use both her whip and her spirits.

At that very moment, however, he had no idea of her intentions. Her face was completely neutral and her posture was strong yet relaxed. The most unnerving thing about having to face Lucy like this was how calm her eyes were. He wasn't used to her oozing confidence; she was really getting to him.

Gray had been so busy racking his brain for leads that he almost didn't see Lucy reach for her whip. He had just readied himself for dodging to the side, when Lucy shot forward and caught his elbow with her whip. Pulling him forward as hard as she could, the stellar spirit mage whirled around and in one fluid motion threw Gray over her shoulder, slamming him into the floorboards and knocking the wind out of him.

"Wha- how did you?!" The ice mage gasped as his blonde friend leaned over him with a small smile gracing her lips.

"You tried to predict my attack from what you knew about my usual strategies and assumed I would summon a spirit. You completely overlooked the possibility that I could use my speed and your own size against you, without relying on my magic. Also, your feet were positioned so you would dodge to your left when I charged, so it was easy to hinder your movements." She summarized smoothly. It had been fun to see how Gray's eyes had been shifting between her keys and her whip. He had been so focused on her magic that he hadn't noticed Lucy's muscles tense up the second before she attacked.

"When did you learn all this?" He asked in wonder. He grimaced as his body ached in protest over moving.

"You think I spend all my free time daydreaming?" Lucy teased with a raised brow. As Gray sat up, she stepped back so he could get to his feet.

"Not so sweet now, hmm?" She asked him with a twinkle in her eyes. In that moment Gray learned that Lucy had a truly terrifying side to her.

* * *

 **Chapters from here on out have been written more recently, so you might notice a change in the writing style. Thank you for all you feedback so far, I still hope that more people will read and enjoy the story. Huge thanks to Meeee (Guest), Mafx98 and Summer Nickels for your many reviews! Keep 'em coming, I love hearing your thoughts (=w=)/**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Welp, almost forgot to update this story... Thank you for feedback so far, I love hearing your thoughts. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Gray?" Opening his eyes, Gray looked up to see Lucy sitting near the desk in their shared room. She had twisted around in the chair to look at him and he could see papers scattered all over the desktop.

"'Morning. What is it?" He yawned and sat up in his hammock. He had gotten a good night's sleep and was feeling refreshed. After having spent yet another the night in a hammock, his body was not aching as much as he had expected.

"What made you think of a cursed object?" The blonde asked him. She was looking a little tired, with dark circles under her eyes and strands of hair sticking up in all directions. Maybe she hadn't slept well because he had started snoring in the middle of the night? Or maybe something was bothering her? As he was about to ask, he remembered her question for him and paused momentarily.

"I think the guy who made the request for my mission said something about special magical properties of the thing I'm retrieving. And when you mentioned a ghost, I figured special properties also applied to curses." Gray explained. He hadn't really liked the man he had met for his request. There had been something odd about him; a certain stiffness to his speech and movements.

"Are you thinking the curse is linked to your mission?" Lucy had gotten up and removed the curtain from the porthole, gazing at the sea outside it. Sunlight filtered in, making her hair shine and – despite the dullness in them – reflected off her eyes.

"Not necessarily. Is something wrong, Lucy?" Gray got up and crossed the room to put a hand on her shoulder. Lucy's expression looked troubled and she bit down on her lower lip, deep in thought.

"I don't know." She answered dejectedly, not meeting his eyes. Her arms were crossed protectively over her chest and she seemed tense.

"You can tell me." Gray gently told her, turning her to face him. She was acting very unlike herself, and he couldn't figure out why. She had been fine the previous night, so what was bothering her all of a sudden?

"Well-" Her sentence was cut off by the ship violently jerking to one side followed by a loud banging noise. Lucy was flung against Gray, but he caught her as they crashed to the floor. Holding a hand to Lucy's head, Gray waited three seconds before getting to his feet and pulling the blonde up. Lucy motioned to follow her and Gray nodded, getting ready to fight.

She tore the door open and ran straight to the middle of the deck, Gray hot at her heels. The pirates too had appeared wielding swords, but looking more confused than wary.

"Lucy, what's going on?" Ed appeared beside her, sweeping his eyes over the deck.

"I don't know." Lucy replied quietly, she was mentally preparing for an ambush, but nothing seemed amiss. Cautiously, she stepped over to one side of the railing and looked down into the surrounding water. When she only saw the waves lapping gently against the side of the Empress, she swiftly crossed the distance to the opposite side of the deck, leaning slightly over the railing. Again, her eyes roamed over the sea, but at first found nothing unusual.

Pulling back up, Lucy almost missed the gaping hole in the hull to starboard. It was a little ways above the water, so the Empress wouldn't start sinking before repairs could be made, but it was bigger than the size of an adult male, and nothing natural could have made that hole.

"Ed, you might want to see this." Lucy called over her shoulder.

* * *

The following day found Lucy and Gray sparring in the sea. Lucy had gotten the idea when they were particularly bored and the sun beating down on them had become unbearable. Gray had been ecstatic when Lucy suggested they go for a swim and had raced her to the railing, jumping straight in since he had been practically naked anyway. Lucy, too, had opted for wearing a swimsuit that day and followed his lead.

They had jumped over the railing and dived straight in, not thinking twice about any sea monsters lurking. At first they had raced to see who the faster swimmer was and although Lucy was speedy, she couldn't keep up with Gray in terms of distance. So, she was the fastest, but he could swim the farthest.

The crew at the Empress had been working on sealing the hole since it was discovered the previous day. Lucy had been very worried about it, but Bart and Ed had assured her it would be fine. They had passed it off as one of the cliffs having collided into the side, but Lucy argued that the size and placement suggested a sea monster or something big that was passing by and collided with the ship.

The captain had taken it into consideration, but saw no need to further investigate and wanted the hole sealed instead. His crew would fix it up right away, Bart had told her. They had also been trying out some new protective coating for the hull they had gotten hold of in New Caelum. Apparently, it had been infused with tiny crystals and a rare species of coral, which would enhance the durability of the Empress, so it was actually a blessing in disguise.

Once the hole was sealed and the ship coated, they would be able to continue their voyage. Until then, Gray and Lucy could relax a bit, since the pirates were very familiar with these waters and there were few to no threats aside from migrating animals that could become the next meal. Still, Lucy had her doubts.

"Hey Gray, there is something I want to try." Lucy beckoned the ice mage closer as she trod water. Curious, he reached her with a few strokes and looked at her questioningly.

"Can you create a platform and stand on it without it melting?" Now that they had a bit of spare time, she could finally get around to testing a theory she and Levy had been working on for the past few months.

"Sure." Gray had already created the platform and started climbing onto it. Lucy smiled a little at his willingness to help her without questioning her first. The fact that he, and all their other friends, had that much trust in her warmed her heart.

"Need me to do something?" He was standing calmly in the midst of waves and made it look effortless.

"I want you to make a small Ice make: Geyser on a spot near me, just enough to cause some big waves." Lucy explained. Her plan seemed manageable and even if it didn't work out, she had nothing to lose. Gray looked like he was trying to figure out what Lucy had in mind, but decided to let her do her thing and help out anyway. He trusted her to know what she was doing. Probably.

"Alright, whenever you are ready." Gray let some magic pour out of his palms to assess the intensity of his upcoming geyser. He had a pretty good estimate and waited for her signal. Lucy shut her eyes briefly and her brows knitted together in concentration, before a soft glow emitted from around her.

"Now!" She commanded and Gray's hands shot into the water at the edge of his platform and summoned a small, controlled geyser that shot upward. Gray's eyes snapped to Lucy, afraid of his geyser's proximity to her. When he caught sight of her, he could have sworn he saw her arms flailing before disappearing. Hesitating for only a second, Gray was ready to jump in after her, but the sound of her triumphant cry made him stop. To his amazement, Lucy was gliding- no _surfing_ on the waves created by his geyser.

"It worked!" Lucy exclaimed repeatedly with so much excitement that Gray couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face. Lucy maneuvered her way towards him, but a particularly big wave got the best of her as she surfed in an arch above him and made her shriek as she fell. Gray reacted instantly and used his platform to propel himself forwards, creating a ramp and sliding under Lucy, barely catching her in time.

"Gotcha." Lucy's eyes were squeezed shut as she expected herself to be submerged into the cold water, but instead found herself held tightly to Gray's chest. Grateful, she looked up to see him chuckling at her.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away." She apologized, grinning sheepishly.

"Lucy! Are you hurt?!" Kai's voice resounded from the ship, and both mages looked up to see the brothers and a few other pirates gathered, only now realizing they had an audience.

"I'm fine." Lucy called and waved her hand as Gray came to a halt, before placing her down, his arms still around her.

"How did you ride the waves like that?" He asked her with wonder. She seemed fine, so he let go of her and waited for her answer.

"Tell you over dinner? I'm freezing!" Lucy told him and he realized that he had placed her bare feet on ice, of course she was freezing, he mentally smacked himself.

* * *

"So what you're telling me is that you and Levy might have discovered a way of manipulating your own and others' magic and _use_ it?" Lucy nodded eagerly, chewing her food. Gray was trying to take in everything Lucy had revealed to him the past hour. He knew Lucy and Levy were smart, but this was borderline genius.

"So you might be able to control Natsu's flames or my ice?" He questioned in disbelief. Lucy's explanation earlier had made sense. Sorta. Gray, however, was still having trouble following some parts of what she had told him.

"Not necessarily. It's all about your… affinity for certain types of magic. You and Natsu both use Caster magic, whereas I use Holder magic. So it's not entirely impossible, but it's hard," Lucy started explaining, "if, however, you were near someone with magic closer to yours, you could borrow or control their magic to some extent. Since you use ice, your affinity for water for instance is higher than others', since ice basically comes from the same element. It would likely succeed if you tried it with Juvia, but not with Natsu because of the opposite elements." She mused thoughtfully, before continuing.

"But if you were to use runes for instance, once you understood the basic principles of their magic, you would be able to use them." Lucy waited for Gray to indicate that he understood.

"Was that what you did earlier then?" He asked, thinking back on her flailing arms. She could have been writing runes to keep her afloat or control the water.

"No, I used Levy-chan's Solid Script and made a 'board'." Lucy smiled proudly. That made sense. She and Levy had spent a lot of time together, and naturally they would have experimented with their own magic already. Runes and Solid Script resembled each other, so he could see how Lucy could use it.

"So it really works if you understand what magic is?"

"More or less, yeah!" Lucy practically beamed. Gray could tell that Lucy had been dying to share their discovery and theories with someone and he was actually a little flattered that she chose to tell him.

"Why haven't you told anyone yet?" The ice mage asked curiously. Their breakthrough was incredible and the fact that any magic user possibly could learn this made it even more amazing.

"…We are working on the theory behind it, and it wouldn't do to spread the news when we don't have all the facts straight yet." Lucy wrapped a lock of her hair around her finger as she spoke, and Gray noticed that it was longer than before. Was she growing it out or had she just not had time to get Cancer to fix it?

"You'll have to promise not to tell anyone, Gray." Lucy addressing him brought him out of his thoughts.

"If you'll let me try it, I won't. You have my word." He promised with a tiny smile when Lucy nodded her head after a second of consideration. He was very intrigued by Lucy's magic theory and since they weren't busy all the time, it could be fun to try out. Frowning slightly, he remembered what Lucy had mentioned about affinities for certain types of magic and it nagged him.

"What if-" He started, but was interrupted by Kai calling out his and Lucy's names.

"Your magic earlier was amazing!" The youngest pirate praised them. He and his brother joined the two mages on each side of the benches, Kai sitting beside him and Mateo beside Lucy.

"That was nothing! You should see the fights that usually break out in the guild!" Lucy laughed and started telling him in great detail how the parties at the guild always ended with someone being knocked unconscious. She even admitted to having been involved in a few fights herself, although that was usually for self-defense.

Gray tuned out as the two pirates and Lucy conversed, he was still a little overwhelmed with all the information he had been given, and tried to sort through it again. He could grasp the concept of understanding magic better, but what kind of limitations were there to this new development of magic? The gears in Gray's head turned for a long time, before he noticed the back of his neck prickling.

He looked up to see steely grey eyes locked onto his own and raised a brow challengingly. Mateo held his gaze for a moment longer, before returning his attention to Lucy who was talking animatedly with Kai, who in turn was wiping away tears of mirth.

Gray had no idea what they had been talking about, but Lucy was in good spirits and that was something he hadn't seen in a while. She had this light surrounding her that sucked everyone in. You could never be in her presence and not feel entertained, and the whole atmosphere shifted when she was around. Smiling at the pleasant sound of her laughter, Gray realized that he hadn't seen Lucy or the others all that much lately. He had been so busy with solo jobs and the training camp that he hardly had spent time with his friends.

As he mulled over his absence at the guild, he once again felt a pair of eyes on him, but this time when he looked up, they were warm, brown and concerned. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he started participating in the conversation and noticed that Mateo more than once studied him for longer than was necessary, and it grated on his nerves. Deciding that he wouldn't bother with the sullen pirate, Gray chose to ignore his stares.

Lucy and Gray spent the remainder of the evening sharing stories of their time at the guild, and at one point Dagger and Ed had joined them to take part in Tales of the Fairies as they named it. Dagger even shared a few of his own tales from his youth and had everyone around the table hanging off his every word. Once they were back to patrolling, Gray couldn't help but ask Lucy about the pirates naming everything.

"Well, there usually is some affectionate meaning behind their names. They're never crude to each other, more like a big family where nicknames come from individual affinities for things." Lucy laughed lightly. At the mention of the word affinity, Gray stiffened.

All the thoughts he had earlier came rushing back and he felt the same nagging as before. They had come to a halt at port and were watching the sea and stars, when Lucy gingerly placed her hand on Gray's arm. It was warm, he noticed.

"Do you want to play a game of truth?" She asked him with a tone that verged on nervous as she retracted her small hand. The ice mage noticed how she kept fiddling with the bracelet hanging off her wrist.

"Sure, you go first." Gray nodded his head, trying to figure out what was going on in Lucy's head. Her expression right now was guarded and she was usually pretty easy to read.

"Did I say something wrong?" Her question shocked him. Her eyes were searching his for some sort of answer, but he was genuinely confused. He didn't understand why she was asking that.

"Why do you say that?" He thought back on the whole day and couldn't think of a single instance where she said something hurtful or offending.

"You've been distant ever since I told you about the theory." Oh. The nagging.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I didn't realize. I've just been trying to think." Gray explained, feeling very guilty that he made Lucy blame herself for his behavior. She peered at him from behind her bangs and he felt an impulse to brush them back.

"What about?" There had been brief hesitation before she asked. Gray smiled inwardly. She always knew when to drop the topic and when to press on. Maybe she could help him figure things out or just reach some sort of clarity. She was very wise, after all. Probably all the time she had spent with Dagger, he mused.

"It was something you said about affinities for magic, about mine possibly being… for water." Gray sighed as he voiced his thoughts. He was starting to get why it bothered him and he really didn't want to delve deeper into the reason.

"Yes?" It was easy to see that she was replaying their conversation in her head.

"It reminded me of Juvia."

"In a good way or bad way?" Lucy questioned, trying to figure out where the conversation was headed. Gray raised his brows at her incredulously.

"Sorry, it's just that she has calmed down considerably around you and you seemed to be warming up to her, so everyone thought…" Lucy trailed off, feeling her cheeks heat up with shame. She should never have mentioned it.

"Have you noticed the amount of solos I've been doing lately?" He asked as he prepared himself for explaining the reason behind it. Suddenly he realized exactly _how_ much it had been eating away at him and felt his shoulders slump a little.

"Everyone has." She replied gently, sensing that it had been bothering him greatly. Lucy took a tiny step closer and put her hand on his shoulder. She had a feeling he was going to tell her something that was hard to talk about and she wanted to show her support.

"I needed some time for myself, because Juvia more or less forced herself on me." Gray admitted tiredly. He registered the look of horror on Lucy's face and smiled grimly, before filling her in.

"She declared her love for me, and even though I tried explaining to her that I only saw her as a friend and would never see her as more, she pleaded and pleaded. She told me she'd die if I didn't return her love and then she tried to kiss me." He ran a hand through his hair and kept it there, gripping onto his locks.

"I stopped her, and I could see that I had hurt her worse than ever before. She was crushed that I didn't let her, but it felt so wrong." Gray tried to stop the hints of remorse and anguish that seeped into his voice, but failed.

"I repeated what I had told her earlier, that she was one of my close friends, but not more than that. And I tried explaining that I couldn't force my feelings for her, they were only platonic, but she wouldn't listen to me!" Again, remorse took control of his speech. Somewhere along his rant, Lucy had taken his hand and gripped it tightly and he only just noticed and saw how small it was in his own.

"It was so frustrating," he continued a little calmer than before, "I have tried to reason with her, I really have, but she just doesn't get it! I didn't want to hurt her, but she wouldn't understand."

"You don't have to feel guilty for not returning her feelings, Gray. You did the right thing." Lucy whispered soothingly. It was the first time someone told him that and he had longed to hear for it ages. Everyone had always told him what a cute couple they would have made, but he was sick of it. He felt relief wash over him and took a few steadying breaths, feeling a lot lighter. He was usually always so calm and collected, but Juvia had driven him over the edge.

"I still hurt her badly and we might never speak again." Gray was saddened that he maybe had lost a friend, and he still felt very bad about hurting her. He remembered how the tears had run down her cheeks without a sound from her and it made him shrink.

"That's not your fault. If you had accepted her feeling without returning them, you would have hurt her even more. She will heal and she will get over you, but she needs time. As you said, you might not speak at first, but I'm sure that once she comes around, you'll eventually be friends again. She can't blame you for not feeling the same way about her." Lucy's heart went out to Gray. She couldn't imagine how he must have felt going through everything on his own, but she wanted to lessen some of his pain and guilt.

"She'll be fine." The blonde assured him and the ice mage felt a huge weight drop off his shoulders.

"Thank you." He whispered and squeezed her hand.

"You're welcome." She smiled.

* * *

 **One of my many headcanons is that Lucy and Levy get all brainy and geek out over the cause of magic, eventually stumbling onto something groundbreaking. Depending on how you define magic and if it is a certain trait select people possess, I think it's possible that you would be able to tap into other sources of magic, granted you know how to. Anyways, I am not an anti-Gruvia shipper, I just don't see the same chemistry in the ship as there is between Gray and Lucy so this is how I would have wanted things to be, it is not meant to offend anyone. But let me hear your thoughts about the story. See you next week folks (=w=)/**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I nearly uploaded one of my biophysics projects by accident and figured you were here for the story and not my class project. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Lucy it's headed your way!" Kai yelled at the top of his lungs. His fingers gripped the railing tightly as he watched the two Fairy Tail mages ready themselves for attack. He so badly wanted to help his two mage friends, but they had asked him to stay on the ship. Man was he envious of their magic!

"Aquarius, now!" Lucy had summoned Aquarius and Virgo to take on the sea monster and hoped the mermaid would cooperate.

"Tch." She reluctantly lifted her arm and jets of boiling water shot towards the monster. Since Lucy had increased her magic levels, her spirits too had gained a boost in magic. Virgo and Lucy could easily have taken on the creature on their own, but having been cooped up in the spirit world for a long time; Aquarius more or less opened her own gate and joined the fight when she saw that Lucy was surrounded by her natural element.

"I got it!" Gray yelled and fired a volley of icy spears against the monster. It was easily the size of the Empress and would serve as food for days. The monster roared at the burns and spikes embedded in its side. It trashed violently in the water and almost knocked Lucy and Gray over with its enormous tail.

The two mages had practiced surfing and riding the waves and were now finding it easier and easier to do. It gave them more mobility during the fight, and although it required some concentration, they were more or less able to control their movements freely.

"Let's finish it!" Lucy commanded and after a barricade of attacks, the monster fell. Lucy had Virgo butcher it as they hauled it up on the ship. Romano had already instructed the spirits as to which parts he wanted cut up, so the two mages returned to the ship as the spirits worked. As in Virgo did the butchering and Aquarius returned to the spirit world.

"You get along with Aquarius way better now." Gray remarked as the headed for their cabin to shower and put on dry clothes.

"Shhh! She might hear you!" Lucy slapped his arm and shushed him as she headed straight for the bath. He was right, though. The mermaid hadn't been as hostile as she used to be and had even started listening to Lucy's commands without complaint. Occasionally.

"That hurt!" Gray complained loudly and sulked in the corner while he waited for Lucy to finish showering. His body was almost dry at this point, but he liked the idea of a hot shower anyways. Once Lucy was back in their room, Gray grabbed some clothes and entered the bath.

"Why do you have so many bottles of stuff in here?" He called through the door. At first he had been astonished at the interior of the Empress. He had expected it to be an old wreck, but was pleasantly surprised when he found a fully functioning bathroom complete with a shower cubicle.

"Because I use them all." Lucy's voice was muffled, but Gray just rolled his eyes, convinced that no one person would use that many products to bathe. Picking up the bottle closest to him, he tried to read the label and directions, before tossing it back onto the shelf that Lucy had taken over. Trying to differentiate between the bottles made him dizzy, so instead he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water beating down on his aching body.

Meanwhile Lucy had left their cabin to give Gray some time for himself and headed to the galley, where she found Romano salting, sorting and slicing the fish they had caught - if it could be called that.

"Gracing me with yer presence M'lady?" He winked at her as he swiftly worked on putting the meat into different sized barrels, not once missing.

"What are you going to do with all of it?" Lucy asked, wondering. There was way more than the crew could consume before they became sick of it.

"Salt some, smoke some, preserve some and sell it once we reach the next port." He explained as he threw some of it into a big pot hanging over a hearth. The galley was, much like the rest of the ship, filled with all of the newest equipment, meaning Romano had a very organized space with stoves and hearths as well as rows of cupboards lining the walls.

"Do you know when that will be?" Lucy thought back to her evening spent in New Caelum and hoped the next stop would be just as exciting. Maybe Gray would join her and explore the city, she thought.

"Aye, in a few days." He answered over his shoulder as he started prepping ingredients for lunch. Pulling out knives and a cutting board, he got to work. Offering her assistance, Lucy turned to leave when he declined politely, telling her to enjoy some time off, and almost collided into Mateo.

"My bad." The blonde apologized with a cheerful smile. The pirate nodded his head in acceptance and moved aside to let her pass. After a moment, he followed Lucy back to the deck and found her stretching her limbs.

"Were ye about to practice?" He asked and watched as the blonde mage rolled her shoulders.

"Yes, it's about time for my daily session with Capricorn." Lucy explained as she summoned her spirit, who stood tall and looked pristine in his black suit.

"I see." The pirate hung back and spent the following hour watching the blonde mage practice. By the end of it, she was panting and sweat was trickling down her hairline. Mateo had a hard time imagining how it felt to practice and fight using magic. He noticed that the ice mage had emerged from their cabin and had been watching as well. The pirate left to do some work when the goat spirit stopped his instructions.

"Well done, Lucy-sama. I think this is enough for today." Capricorn bowed as he dispelled himself. Lucy nodded and sat down on the floorboards with her legs stretched out in front of her. A shadow glided over her, offering her a little protection from the sun.

"You've really improved, Lucy. That was amazing." Gray commented cheerfully. He had been very impressed with the level of concentration Lucy had acquired and could really see the results of her hard work.

"You think?" She beamed at him, panting just slightly. Gray nodded his head and offered her a hand, helping her to her feet.

"You've never been at this much ease with having a spirit out for such a long time." The ice mage praised and patted her head affectionately.

"It's getting easier." She admitted, suddenly feeling shy at her teammate's praise.

"Your physical abilities are better too, but I'd suggest placing your feet wider apart when you take your stance." Gray remembered how easily Lucy had thrown him to the floor. He had also been told how Lucy held up against previous attackers and had no doubt about her strength.

"You seem to be in a good mood today." Lucy pointed out, glad to see her friend in high spirits.

"Really?" Gray cocked his head in thought and shrugged. He wouldn't deny that he felt a little lighter after their talk the previous night, but other than that he didn't feel any different. He had been content to watch her practice.

The two of them had started doing their rounds of patrol and spent some time playing Truth. Dagger showed up and entertained them for a while before going down to the galley. The sun had started to set and so far it had been an uneventful afternoon. Even Kai had been bored and had spent a good deal of time with the two mages.

"I wonder what's happening back at the guild." Lucy mused out loud. She and Gray had spent the whole day together and naturally, it made Lucy think of the rest of their team.

"The same as always?" Gray suggested after a moment's consideration. Knowing their friends, things definitely weren't quiet back home. Natsu was probably wreaking havoc anywhere he went and Erza most likely had been assigned to keep him out of trouble. Wendy was likely working with the remaining Team Natsu members and honing her skills, while everyone else went on missions of their own.

"Probably." Lucy covered her mouth with a hand when she laughed. The sun had gone down hours ago and the night sky was illuminated by billions of twinkling stars. They weren't nearly as bright as the sparkle in Lucy's eyes, Gray thought. They watched the waves in silence for a few minutes, before Gray noticed Lucy shivering.

"Are you cold?" He asked her. Her hair was blowing in the wind and it had actually gotten a lot colder now that he thought about it. She must have been freezing!

"A little, but I don't feel like going back inside yet." Lucy replied and leaned her forearms against the railing. Her thin shirt didn't offer much protection against the chilly wind and she wasn't wearing a jacket either. Gray thought for a second and made a decision.

He placed his arms on each side of her and leaned closer, so her back was resting against his chest. Feeling her stiffen slightly, but then relax, he closed his arms around her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Lucy sighed contently and leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Better?" He asked, his breath tickling her ear. His hands had stopped rubbing warmth into her arms, but rested against her frame. Lucy shifted so Gray's hands were resting against her stomach and gingerly closed her hands over his.

"It feels nice." Lucy breathed. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but it felt like hers or Gray's heartbeat increased. She became aware of how his chest rose and fell in time with her own breathing and liked the feel of his sturdy body behind her.

They stood like that for a while, Lucy wrapped in Gray's arms, his chin resting on top of her head. Every time the wind blew, Gray caught a whiff of her scent and he couldn't decide whether it was fruity or floral, but one thing was for sure, Lucy smelled incredibly good.

When they finally decided to head back to their cabin and get some sleep, they detangled themselves from each other and walked back, conversation flowing easily between them.

The following few days repeated the same pattern. Not much happened during the days, so they spent a lot of time together, playing Truth, sparring and just being in each other's company. What did change, however, was the increased accidental touching and glancing at each other after short periods of time. Something had slowly shifted between them and they both felt it.

* * *

"Alright, I got one. What's a pirate's favorite letter?" Gray prompted Lucy to answer. He, Dagger, Ed and Kai watched in amusement as Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"If you say 'Arrr!' I will punch you." The blonde threatened.

"You'd think it was R, but his true love be the 'C'." Ed and Kai roared with laughter upon hearing this, and Lucy just shook her head in defeat. Dagger eyes twinkled with mirth and he cackled, almost feeling a swell of pride in his chest.

Gray had taken a liking to the aforementioned pirates and enjoyed talking to them. He and Lucy could easily spend hours talking to Dagger and Ed often joined them too. Dagger had started spending more time on the deck and in the galley, so he could be entertained by the two Fairies, although he claimed it was to absorb more sunlight. He was very fond of both of them and he had already seen something great in them that they were yet to discover.

After a while of loitering about, Mateo appeared and told Ed that Bart was asking for him. Cursing all the way, Ed left the rest of the group and trudged into the captain's cabin. The older of the brothers stayed for a few more minutes, before taking off again, but not before he had made a point of blatantly glaring at Gray, which of course got on Gray's nerves.

It wasn't long before the group disbanded and left to do their respective chores. Lucy for once left Gray to do the patrolling, not even bothering to summon a spirit. Gray had spent a great deal of time with Loke as well, sparring and hanging out, but the lion rarely popped up unannounced so Gray mostly just asked Lucy to summon him. Now that he was mostly alone on deck, he had the opportunity to seek out the annoying brat Mateo and ask what the hell his problem was.

"You should back down." Mateo had said in a calm manner, when Gray asked him upfront after finding him by the cabins, as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"What are you talking about?" The ice mage snapped irritably. His patience with the older of the brothers was very limited and steadily running out. They hadn't really spoken much in the week Gray had been onboard, and frankly, he would have liked to keep it that way. Damn he was annoying.

"Lucy."

"…What about her?" Gray studied Mateo's face that showed no trace of emotion. He didn't like the guy, and he didn't like Gray either that much was clear.

"Don't act like ye don't know. Blimey, everyone's seen how you look at her." The pirate rolled his eyes, making him resemble Kai a little more. Except for Kai being a very likeable guy and this one annoying the crap out of Gray.

"Your point?" The ice mage wondered what had gotten Mateo's panties into a twist and why was the bastard bringing Lucy up all of a sudden? It was none of his business how Gray interacted with his teammate.

"Ye aren't the only one who's fond of her." The pirate didn't even bother to elaborate and simply made to move past Gray, but was stopped by the ice mage's arm blocking the way.

"Are you-?" Gray despised the smug, superior look that appeared on Mateo's face as he spoke.

"Who knows?" The pirate smirked as he moved past the ice mage and Gray had to use every last bit of his willpower to control himself and not beat the living daylights out of the snotty brat.

As he returned to patrolling, he replayed his short conversation with Mateo a few times, trying to find out what the pirate had meant. Of course he wasn't the only one who liked Lucy, she was a lovely person. And she was strong, smart, beautiful and funny. Only a fool wouldn't like her, so why were Mateo's words making him grind his teeth?

Then it dawned on him. Maybe Mateo didn't just _like_ her, maybe there was more to it from his side. And what he had been saying was that Gray wasn't the only one who felt some type of way about Lucy. Gray had seen how good friends Lucy and Kai had become and perhaps there was more to their friendship that he knew of, but it could also very likely be that-

' _Stop it! Lucy's relationships are none of your business. Pull yourself together! She is just a friend, a very good friend that you cherish and don't want to get hurt.'_ Gray scolded himself mentally. Why was he butting into Lucy's choices, when he had no say in who she befriended or dated? The ice mage decided that he was only being protective of her, because she was one of his best friends and meant a lot to him. He had to stop acting so crazy and start doing what friends did and support her.

…But didn't friends also look out for each other and prevent them from getting hurt? He and Natsu personally interrogated whoever asked Lucy out, because she was their friend and their precious nakama, so why shouldn't he be wary of the pirates?

' _Because they are no threat to us and none of them are trying to date Lucy.'_ Gray's head was spinning and he had to take a minute to breathe and clear his head.

What had gotten into him all of a sudden? Why was he so set on being Lucy's personal protector that he mentally assessed any male that came near her? Was he and Natsu the reason none of Lucy's suiters ever stuck around? After considering it for a moment, he reached the conclusion that Erza threatening to skewer them on one of her spears was what made them stay away… that and all his and Natsu's meddling in her affairs. More than once they had teamed up to… erm, _change_ the outcome of Lucy's dates. Who was he kidding? They had sabotaged and manipulated Lucy's dates on countless occasions, because they had a bad feeling about the guys. In their defense, the guys had often turned out to be creeps.

"Dammit!" Gray punched the wood beneath the railing, hard enough to draw blood, clearly frustrated with himself. He had to clear his head, he couldn't think like this.

"What did the ship ever do to ye, me bucko?" A raspy sounding voice broke through the fog in Gray's brain and startled him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I, uh, just needed to blow off some steam…" Gray excused lamely. He waited while Dagger slowly wobbled his way over to him, grunting from the effort.

"Aye lad, that's one way to do it." Dagger croaked with amusement. He had been on his way up to the galley when he saw Gray arguing with Mateo. What the two younglings were talking about he didn't know, but Dagger was acutely aware that Mateo purposely pushed the buttons of people he didn't like, which seemed to be Gray.

"Hold on, let me get you something to sit on." Gray said and took off in search of a crate for the old pirate to perch on. When he returned and helped Dagger sit down, the pirate sighed in relief. His aching back and old legs were killing him. One look at the troubled mage though and he forgot about his own problems.

"What's got yer knickers in a bunch?" Dagger flashed a toothy grin, displaying a few gaps.

"I can't help but want to bash Mateo's teeth in every time I see him, but other than that nothing." Gray answered dryly. He was grateful that Dagger took no offense to Gray insulting his crew mate and hoped that the old pirate could distract him for a while. Maybe he should ask about some myth or story from his past? That always seemed to get Dagger going.

"Nipper be a handful at times." The ragged old man agreed. Apparently he wouldn't let the subject drop.

"I thought Kai was the nipper?" Gray raised a questioning brow. He still hadn't sorted out all the nicknames at the Empress, but he was steadily working on it.

"Everyone be a nipper at me age." Dagger grinned again, happy to see the corner of Gray's mouth quirk up.

"True." The ice mage chuckled. Deciding that he was in need of advice, Gray proceeded to describe his predicament to Dagger, but still kept it vague. Words weren't really needed when Dagger was involved, the old dog was still sharp as ever, which was why Gray was taken by surprise when the pirate spoke.

"Ye got the unscratchable itch." He concluded easily.

"The what now?"

"The itch, me lad." Gray still wasn't following, so Dagger took pity on him and explained it. Lads these days, Dagger thought in exasperation.

"Ye've discovered yer itch for Sweetcheeks after Mateo told ye he be feelin' for the lass."

"For Lucy?" Some of the pieces started falling into place in Gray's mind. Dagger was insinuating that Gray had found his feelings for Lucy in response to Mateo taking an interest in her, but that couldn't be true, right? That wasn't how he felt about his teammate, was it?

"Are ye daft, lad? Who else?" Dagger snickered again. Poking fun at clueless blokes was one of his favorite hobbies – that and napping. Seeing the confusion on the ice mage's face, the old man took pity on him and decided to not tease him further.

"Listen up lad, not all treasure is silver and gold." With those parting words, Dagger hopped down from the crate and slowly picked his way over to the galley leaving the ice mage to look puzzled on his own.

Gray felt unsettled. He had always known that a love triangle involving him, Natsu and Lucy had been heavily debated, but he had merely shrugged it off. There was no reason to get involved in something so stupid, he had thought. Gray had always been sure about his and Lucy's friendship, but had admittedly wondered about her relationship with the dragon slayer. It had been years since Lucy joined the guild, so if there had been anything between her and the flamebrain; he figured it would already have happened by now.

But for something to happen between Lucy and himself? He couldn't deny how well they hit it off, but he had never _really_ thought about it. Sure, people had told them to get together on numerous occasions, but neither of them had taken it seriously. Was he really starting to develop feelings for her? Or had he always had them and was he finally allowing himself to feel them? He needed to think about this calmly.

Plopping down on the floorboards heavily, the ice mage started breathing slowly and deeply. He closed his eyes, crossed his legs and froze his knuckles on his bruised hand to stop the bleeding. Over the years he had learned that he calmed down easier if he concentrated on creating something while trying to meditate.

He had a very detailed sculpture of a peacock in mind and got to work right away, molding his magic and letting it flow from his hands. The hum of magic filled his ears and he could feel the cold roll off his arms in tiny waves. The gently breeze blew the misty cold around and whistled in his ears. Magic poured out of his hands and started taking shape wherever he moved his hands. The newly formed ice groaned when he bent it, twisted and stretched it and finally the picture in his mind was complete. Gray had been so focused on his sculpture that he hadn't noticed the light footsteps nearing him. He actually didn't notice her presence until she spoke and jolted him out of his trance.

"It's beautiful." Lucy gave her appraisal after examining the peacock from all sides. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from laughing too much or having a few drinks, and the wind softly blew in her hair.

"Thanks." Gray got up, letting his creation stay for a little while. Lucy seemed to like it and he didn't have it in his heart to demolish it right in front of her.

"Have you had dinner yet?" The blonde mage asked as she reached out and stroked one of the icy feathers of the peacock. The ice mage was reminded of Lyon and for a second he considered trying to animate it, but the last time he had tried it had gone awful. Instead he looked at Lucy who was waiting for his answer.

"Dinner?" Gray only then realized that he had been sitting there for hours. It had been closer to midday when he had his discussion - if it could be called that - with Mateo.

"Is something wrong? Gray, what happened to your hand?" Lucy noticed the broken skin on his knuckles and grabbed his hand to look closer. Gray had encased his sore knuckles in ice earlier and the blood had dried ages ago. Ugly purple bruises were glaring back at him around the broken skin.

"I'm fine, I just-" Luckily, Gray got off explaining his injury as Kai approached them and politely interrupted. Gray noticed that his cheeks too were red and guessed that he had been drinking with Lucy, before coming outside. He seemed to be tipsy, which would explain his sudden politeness.

"We're 'bout to crack open the booze, are ye coming inside?" The youngest pirate asked, waiting patiently. He wouldn't take no for an answer and just waited until the two Fairies followed him into the galley, where all of the pirates were singing loudly. They were in very high spirits and passed around the rum.

"Shouldn't we be on lookout?" Gray leaned over and whispered to the blonde, who smiled cheekily in return.

"Squinty's covering for us. I beat him in a chugging competition and that was the penalty." Lucy's tinkering laughter made Gray swallow nervously. He sometimes forgot how scary his teammate could be.

Gray and Lucy sat down beside Kai – and much to Gray's dismay – his brother, who was still looking smug as ever. The ice mage opted for getting some food, before he started drinking. Meanwhile Kai had already chugged down the contents of his mug and was readily filling it up again. Lucy too, was starting to let the mood affect her and accepted the rum passed to her.

She and Kai joined the singing and Gray had no idea that Lucy knew any of their songs. He watched her for a while and enjoyed seeing her so carefree. Having finished his food, Gray too, got his hands on one of the big wooden mugs filled to the brim with liquor and started chugging. It wasn't long before he joined Lucy and Kai and let loose. He had a lot of pent-up tension that he finally found and outlet for. He and Lucy drank, sang and danced together with the pirates and even had the occasional snack.

Romano had gone all out with whipping up food for the crew, and had finally finished serving the last of it. Of course, it was devoured within a few minutes, but as a cook, he was satisfied. He and the mates were all singing their hearts out when he saw the blonde mage and gallantly asked her to dance. Her trademark flushed cheeks and giggles had already appeared and she truly lived up to her nickname.

Gray watched intently as Lucy was twirled around by the cook and felt something resembling disapproval in the pit of his stomach. Kai joined too and Lucy was passed back and forth a few times, laughing all the while. She was clearly having fun, so why was Gray starting to feel annoyed? He didn't know if it was the influence of the rum that prompted him to get up and dance with Lucy or if it were the feelings of annoyance and frustration. He had been away from his friends so long that he almost couldn't bear to see Lucy with her new friends.

The two mages danced for a while, Lucy and Kai trying to teach Gray the basics of the jig, but failing miserably. After attempting to copy the moves of the other pirates, Gray claimed that his head was spinning and that he had to sit down if he didn't want to vomit. It was true that he was feeling lightheaded, but he wasn't actually nauseous. As he sat back on the bench he previously had been occupying, his eyes once again fell on Lucy whispering something to Kai, who was laughing very hard.

She looked so beautiful in her white top with flowy sleeves and dark blue skirt. Her hair was loose instead of being in her usual ponytail and her eyes were sparkling. Gray had never noticed that his teammate was this radiant. She all but enchanted everyone on the Empress; she was strong and confident as well as gorgeous.

It wasn't until he saw Romano placing his hands on her lower back and pulling her close that Gray noticed Mateo standing off to the side and looking directly at him. Gray could have sworn he saw the pirate mouthing 'pathetic' to him, before disappearing in the crowd. His fingers were itching to throttle the pirate. Gray decided that he had enough fun and started to leave, heading directly to his and Lucy's shared cabin.

* * *

 **What's that? Gray realizing he might be feeling something for his trammate? Would be a shame... If something got in the way of it... Stay tuned and Merry Christmas (=w=)/**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi all, I wanted to inform you that updates may be inconsistent in January due to exams near the end of the month. I will of course try my best to update weekly, but I am nearing the end of my pre-written chapters and I have to find time to keep writing whilst studying and working. Thank you to all the feedback, it means the world to me!**

* * *

Lucy woke up feeling rather refreshed for once. She hadn't been having bad dreams the past two days and that meant she actually got to sleep and recharge her energy. The same couldn't be said for her roommate who looked groggier than ever. Gray actually looked a little pale, which was odd. He was still half-asleep so Lucy got out of her hammock and carefully placed a hand on his forehead, checking for a fever. He just lifted his head to look at her and Lucy assumed he was hungover.

His temperature seemed to be normal, so the blonde decided to let him slumber and silently crept into the shower after gathering her clothes for the day. The sweet and smoky scent of the dark rum she had been drinking lingered in her hair and although she enjoyed the full-bodied scent, she preferred her own shampoo. Rinsing her hair and scrubbing her body, Lucy finished showering and getting dressed and returned to their room to find Gray now sitting up.

"Good morning." Lucy greeted cheerily. She wrinkled her nose when Gray merely grunted in response.

"Are you going to shower? I can wait for you and we can get breakfast together." She offered as she started patting her hair dry. She was considering getting her hair cut when she returned to Magnolia, but Gray suddenly spoke up and distracted her.

"Why don't you eat with all of your new friends? I wouldn't want to get in the way." He told her through clenched teeth, which was very unlike him. Something was obviously bugging him, so Lucy put away her towel and addressed his horrible mood.

"What do you mean? Why are you so angry?" The blonde crossed her arms, demanding an answer. She had no idea what was going on, but she wouldn't stand for Gray getting a hissy fit so early in the morning.

"I'm not angry." The ice mage threw his blanket off to the side of his hammock and stared stiffly out of the porthole in their room.

"You are very annoyed then and I want to know why." Lucy wasn't about to give up. She was just as stubborn as he was, and she wanted to know why he was behaving like a child.

"It's nothing." Gray insisted, still not looking at her. This made Lucy walk over and block his view of the porthole.

"Don't give me that, Gray. I know something is wrong, but you're not telling me what it is." The blonde was starting to get annoyed as well and she was also hungry. She wouldn't leave Gray to sulk like this, though.

"Why is it important to you? You should just go have fun with all your pirate friends." He argued and finally looked Lucy in the eyes. Her hair was still damp from her shower and her skin was tinted red either from her shower or from slowly building anger.

"Gray just tell me-" Lucy started, but was interrupted by Gray getting up and standing in front of her.

"No, Lucy. It's nothing. Just go and be happy with your new friends. They are a lot more fun to be with, right?" He growled, his eyes narrowing. He felt the annoyance from the previous day bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Images of Kai's hands on her waist and the cook pressed flush against her flooded his mind and nearly made him gag.

"Are you serious? I spend most of my time with you, alone!" Lucy's voice was getting shrill from disbelief and she had a hard time trying to regain control of herself.

"Maybe you should spend it with those guys that are practically throwing themselves at your feet!" Gray hissed, getting up and stepping closer to seem intimidating, which of course didn't work on Lucy. She just squared her shoulders and stared him down.

"What are you even talking about?" She questioned angrily, not believing her ears. What was wrong with him?

"Please, all of the pirates drool whenever you walk by. Especially the cook, so maybe you should just have breakfast with him!" He retorted, acting like it was the most obvious thing.

"Why are you acting like this? Did someone say something to you?" Lucy pressed on, not responding to his comment. Why was Gray arguing with her of all people? He only got angry like this when he had horrible nightmares about his parents or Ur, but he usually snapped out of it right away. This was different.

"I told you, it's nothing." Gray was being very defensive, so Lucy guessed that she had been close.

"No-"

"It's none of your business, Lucy!" He finally snapped, tired of arguing with her. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? She looked taken aback for a second before lowering her voice and speaking.

"You're right. It's not." And with that she turned around and left, firmly slamming the door behind her and Gray was left alone, just like he had wanted.

* * *

Once Lucy left the cabin she headed straight to the railing and gripped it hard. She breathed deeply a few times to calm herself down, but her anger didn't dissipate the least. The blonde even considered summoning one of her spirits to keep her company, but she'd probably only end up ranting and she wasn't in the mood to talk, so she resigned herself to staring angrily at the horizon. If Gray dared follow her, she was ready to smack him.

"'Tis a fine day to be angry, aye?" Dagger popped up from behind her and startled her so badly that she jumped to the side, a hand on her whip. The old man in his worn out clothes cackled at her.

"Dagger!" For a second Lucy considered scolding him for sneaking up on her like that, but decided against it. The pirate would probably just tease her and she wasn't in the mood to deal with his sharp tongue.

"Lad trouble?" Dagger asked lightly. He had sensed the waves of frustration rolling off the lass, so he decided to play it safe and not make the mage mad. He had seen what she could do and he wasn't about to let his life end because he made her furious.

"Something like that." Lucy grumbled and resumed her position hanging over the railing and glaring at the water surface. She felt stupid for being upset when Gray had been in the wrong. At least, she thought he had been. Had she done something to make him angry?

"Give the lad time. Poor bastard's got the itch." Lucy looked at Dagger incredulously. There was not a trace of amusement on his face, which actually scared Lucy a little. Dagger was always smiling mischievously or grinning, seeing him so serious was unsettling. His old age really became prominent on his haggard face. She didn't say anything when Dagger turned around and wobbled back.

* * *

Lucy spent the remaining morning in a sour mood. She still couldn't understand what was going on with Gray. Yesterday he was happy and dancing with her, the next he was completely riled up and taking his anger out on her. It didn't make sense. He was usually so calm and collected, and even when he was in a bad mood he never lashed out like he had done this morning.

"Sweetcheeks!" Lucy looked up to see Kai entering the galley and taking a seat on the bench across from her. His eyes were bright and he was sporting a cheeky grin, which was a tad too bubbly for the blonde.

"Hi." She heaved a sigh as she used her spoon to shovel up some porridge, before tilting it sideways, making the gooey substance drop back down.

"What happened to you? Nightmare?" He lowered his voice as he asked the last part. Lucy had confided in him about the terrible dreams plaguing her mind the last couple of weeks, but he had been sworn to secrecy and kept the information strictly to himself, which she was grateful for.

"I had a fight with Gray this morning." She admitted tiredly, once again feeling anger bubble under the surface. She would not go into a tirade about it in front of Kai and drag him into the mess, so she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Really? What about?" The pirate seemed genuinely surprised, and Lucy found herself a little perplexed at the sight. She was aware how much time she had spent with Gray, and she also aware that the pirates knew how close they were, but she found it a little funny that Kai looked confused about them having a fight. Did it really seem to others that she and Gray were _so_ close, they wouldn't even quarrel? Didn't people fight more the closer they were?

"I'd rather not talk about it." She sounded more defeated than anything even to her own ears and she hoped Kai wouldn't pry too much.

"I understand. Well, I came to tell you we are ready to prepare the holy water." Lucy had completely forgotten about the holy water! She nearly smacked herself for neglecting such a crucial part of her mission, but chose to mentally berate herself later.

How could she have forgotten what the purpose of the mission was? Aside from the guarding, this was the _only_ thing she had been tasked with solving, and she hadn't given it a single thought. Why you ask? Because she had been so preoccupied with Gray ever since he joined her mission. Thinking back, they had spent an incredible amount of time together in just a little over a week, and Lucy had really felt herself getting closer to Gray, so it bothered her immensely that he had been so upset.

Part of her knew they would reconcile eventually, but she would not be the one to apologize, not when she had done nothing wrong. Her pride wouldn't allow her to do that. The other part of her missed her friend and didn't want to be angry with him. Again, her pride came in the way of trying to make up with him. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Lucy hurriedly finished her bowl of porridge and followed Kai out of the galley.

If their theory was correct and there was a cursed object in the loot, she would have to exorcise the spirit possessing it. Lucy was actually a little anxious about that part. Sure, she had a lot of experience with _celestial_ spirits, but she had never encountered an evil or vengeful one on her own. She was confident she could recite the spells she had looked up, but she was also scared that the spirit was stronger than she had anticipated.

Kai led her down to where the Empress's storage was. She had opted for pagan holy water, since she wanted to perform an exorcism and that required sea water as an ingredient, which she just happened to be surrounded by. The water had been put in a plastic container and had been left out to absorb starlight the previous night and some sunlight this morning. It was now placed on a small table containing the remaining things they needed to finish it.

"Don't ye have to be a priest or somethin' to make holy water?" Kai asked curiously as he watched Lucy drop one of her silver keys into the water. She had wanted to use one of her keys to strengthen the water with some of her magic instead of a coin or chain.

"No, it isn't sanctified by a priest, but like this I am making it holy to me." The blonde explained as she pulled out the piece of paper on which she had written the sacred charm. As she finished chanting the prayer for purification, she took the big bowl of holy water and started flicking it over the treasure.

Lucy was hoping the spirit would react to the threat of being exorcised and show itself, but her hope started dwindling as she moved from one box to the next without anything happening. Making sure she had gone over every treasure-filled crate, she walked back with the remaining holy water and placed it back on the table.

"So it's not a spirit?" Kai asked as he saw how Lucy put the container down with a frown.

"I guess not. Or maybe it's stronger than we think and the water didn't do anything." She tried reasoning with herself as she picked up her key and dried it off with the hem of her shirt.

"I was hoping it wasn't a spirit." Kai admitted and scratched the back of his neck. He met Lucy's eyes for a second, before looking away.

"How come?" The blonde asked as she mulled over what to do next. When nothing substantial came to mind she redirected her focus to her friend, who was dragging the tip of his boot back and forth on the wooden floor. Not a good sign.

"Part of me thought me old man might've died an' haunted the ship." His quiet admission tugged at Lucy's heart and she saw once again how young he was. Nearly 17 and had experienced more loss than anyone should. She understood why he felt that and for a second she thought she saw something akin to longing, but it was gone as fast as it appeared.

"Did you ever hear from him again? After he left, I mean." Lucy braved the question, not sure how Kai would react, but he just shook his head and continued drawing patterns on the floor with his boot.

"Did you want to?" She watched as his foot stopped circling and he really considered her question.

"No." He answered with a calm certainty that made Lucy smile sadly. She was sorry for what he had gone through, and although she wished he had the opportunity to patch things up with his father, she also understood and respected his answer.

"Let's go see Bart." She suggested and grabbed his hand to pull him along. They barely made it up the stairs before they were both violently tackled to the ground by Mateo.

"Mateo, what are you doing?!" Lucy exclaimed as the pirate pinned her down to the floor, effectively trapping her. She squirmed for a bit, finally getting her leg free and ramming her knee into his tailbone, making him hiss in pain and loosen his grip.

Seizing the opportunity, Lucy used her curled up fist to bring down a hard hit on Mateo's jaw. She could hear yelling and the sound of boots thundering on the wooden floor, but she was busy getting free from Mateo's grip. Luckily, her two hits had thrown off his balance and she was able to topple him over and reversing their positions. Where was Kai?! Why wasn't he helping her?! Lucy frantically looked around for him and saw him lying in a heap a few feet away from her, not moving. Anger flared up in her, and she returned her attention to the pirate beneath her.

"Mateo!" She had her fists curled in his collar, trying to shake him, but she missed his hand aiming for her throat and grabbing it tightly. Clawing at his arm, Lucy struggled to break his hold and felt him tighten his grip to the point where the edges of her vision turned black. She was suffocating.

Once again, Lucy was wrestled to the ground, this time kicking away desperately, but the pirate was too strong. Spots danced in front of her eyes and she felt herself losing the will to fight. She couldn't breathe. It wasn't a second before Mateo's weight was lifted off Lucy and she felt him drop heavily on the floor somewhere to her left. Gasping for air, her eyes locked on to Gray delivering a strong blow to Mateo's jaw, which knocked him out cold. Lucy's vision was blurry, but she saw Gray fall to his knees in front of her and felt him grabbing her hands. She saw him bark out orders to the pirates behind him, but had to close her eyes when the dizziness became too much to bear.

Gray reached out and took Lucy into his arms, carefully lifting her up and away from the fallen pirate. He placed her down next to Kai and brushed away the bangs covering her face. He let his hand rest on her cheek as he ran his thumb up and down her cheekbone. She looked very pale and bruises were already forming on her neck where Mateo's hand had been clamped down.

"I got you, Lucy. Don't worry." He whispered more to himself than to her.

* * *

The next time Lucy woke up, she was in her hammock swinging lightly from side to side. Her throat hurt and she still felt lightheaded, so she stayed where she was and was almost lulled back to sleep by the rocking of the ship, but her position was starting to feel uncomfortable. A groan escaped her when she moved too much.

"How are you feeling?" Gray's voice sounded from beside her and she opened her eyes, searching for him. He was sitting on a chair next to her and had been so still she hadn't even noticed him.

"Awful." Lucy croaked, wincing as she spoke. Her vocal cords were working, even if it stung when she said anything. She remembered her childhood dream of being able to turn into animals. She could now conclude that she wasn't fond of sounding like a frog.

"Kai woke up a little while ago. He has a bump on his head, but is otherwise fine. He's watching his brother now." Gray told her as he got up to pour Lucy a glass of water from the jug he had brought in earlier. Passing her the glass, he watched as she took a few sips with a pained expression.

"What happened? Kai told me you had been downstairs and that Mateo suddenly attacked you." The ice mage had returned to his seat and took the glass back from Lucy, who was now sitting up in her hammock.

"The holy water didn't work, and like Kai said, Mateo just attacked the second we set our feet on the deck." Lucy spoke slowly, feeling a little better after having something to drink. She could faintly feel where Mateo's hand had been, so she tried to shake off the feeling and images that kept replaying in her mind.

"Why would he do that?" Gray asked with disdain in his voice. Lucy knew that he barely tolerated Kai's older brother and she could easily feel the tension in the air whenever they were near each other.

"I don't know. He didn't answer me." She replied with a sigh, remembering the episode once again.

"You okay?" Gray was observing how her jaw clenched and how her fists were curled so tightly her nails most likely were digging into her palms. After a few steadying breaths the blonde nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Gray cleared his throat.

"Lucy, about this morning… I'm sorry for everything I said. I really don't know what I was thinking." He locked eyes with Lucy, trying to let all of his earnestness show and convey how truly sorry he was. Gray had spent the whole morning berating himself over snapping at Lucy, when she had only been trying to help him.

"So you realize that all your anger toward me was completely unjustified?" She asked with annoyance lacing her voice. She had started the day by fighting with one of her best friends, had later been attacked by a crazed pirate who almost choked her to unconsciousness, and then she was saved by said best friend who was now apologizing for their fight. She was having a _terrific_ day.

"I'm sorry." Gray repeated with a stronger voice. He knew he had been in the wrong and wanted to make up for it no matter what it took.

"And that it was wrong of you to lash out on me instead of telling me what was wrong?" Lucy reminded him of how he had wanted to hurt her with his words – how he had succeeded in the end – and it made his stomach clench.

"…Yes." He admitted. He had to put his pride aside and beg for forgiveness if necessary. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her as a friend or her being angry with him and not smiling.

"And that Romano plays for the other team and is only a friend?" Lucy raised a brow expectantly.

"Yes- wait what?" Gray finally registered what she had said and felt even worse for implying that there had been something romantic between Lucy and the cook.

"Maybe you'd have known if you got to know people instead of jumping to conclusions." Lucy saw him wince and knew it had stung as much as she had intended.

"I know… I'm sorry." He was embarrassed beyond belief and he knew he deserved everything Lucy had said to him. He was such an idiot.

"Apology accepted." Lucy said as she lightly touched her hand to his shoulder. She noticed that his shirt was missing and figured he had lost it when he came to her rescue.

"And thank you for saving me." She added with a little smile. She was grateful that he had been there to get Mateo off her, but now she wanted to know what was going with the pirate and why he had lost his temper like that.

"No problem." Gray answered, relieved that there was no longer any animosity between them.

* * *

It took Lucy an hour to explain Bart what had happened and how the holy water hadn't been of any help. On her way to see Kai and Mateo, Lucy had run into one of the pirates who had informed her that the captain would like to see her, so she headed to Bart's office first. The captain had been very worried when he heard about the attack and wanted to make sure Lucy was alright.

"It was like he couldn't hear me." She described to Bart, hoping to figure out why Mateo had been acting so weird. Now that she thought about it, Mateo hadn't been the only one to act unusual that day. Gray had been unusually angry when he woke up, and Mateo had been vigorous and out of control when he attacked them. It was probably a coincidence, but something Gray had asked her a little while ago bugged her.

"You look like you've figured something out, Lucy." Bart addressed her when she stared into the air for more than a few seconds.

"I just thought of a weird coincidence. Did you get anything out of Mateo yet?" The blonde changed the topic so she would be able to think about it on her own for a little longer. It wasn't that she didn't trust Bart, but there was something she had to make sure of before she could tell him.

"No, he hasn't moved much or said anything. The men who kept watch over him while you and the nipper were unconscious told me he seemed to be dazed." The captain stroked his beard thoughtfully. He found the situation hard to grasp and wanted to figure out what exactly had caused one of his boys to go on a rampage.

"Who's watching him now?" Lucy asked, guessing Kai would volunteer the second he regained consciousness. If he was, Lucy could check up on him as well as question his brother.

"Kai an' Ed." Bart leaned back in his chair with an almost inaudible sigh. He looked tired, Lucy observed. Deciding not to bother him anymore, she got out of his office, promising to check back in once she knew anything.

Lucy was glad that Bart had so much trust in her that he would leave her and Ed to do the questioning. She was also glad that he was so calm instead of impatiently demanding answers from her. He knew that Lucy couldn't magically produce answers she didn't have, but also that she was determined to find out what was haunting the crew of the Empress, so he let her take her time.

* * *

 **Why must I make them suffer like this? Oh well, the good stuff is coming soon, I promise. Btw would anyone be interested in reading a fic about the years up to Lucy running away from home as well as a story where Lucy and Gray get married out of necessity because of a creep and Jude? Happy New Year and stay safe! (=w=)/**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am back from my break! Hope you enjoy this next installment of Weeping Waters.**

* * *

It had only been minutes since Lucy left the cabin to find Mateo and Gray slumped down onto his hammock. He was having a hard time understanding what had happened while he had been inside sulking. One moment Lucy had slammed the door on him and the next time he saw her, she was being choked silly. There was seriously something wrong with this ship, and he was going to figure out what it was.

Getting to his feet so he could pace the floor restlessly, much like he had done most of the day, Gray spotted some of Lucy's papers that had fallen to the floor, probably when he had rushed outside at the sound of her alarming yell.

The ice mage shuddered as he remembered seeing Lucy struggle while Mateo's hand was closed around her throat and hurriedly picked up the papers strewn about trying to forget the image. Glancing at them, he saw that most of the papers were something Lucy quickly jotted down her thoughts on, but a few of them sporadically had doodles on them. One doodle in particular caught his eyes and it stopped him mid-motion. It was a pair of eyes, nothing more than a few strokes of a pencil on the white of the paper, but they looked eerily familiar. He was sure he had seen them somewhere before and recently at that. Scratching his head, Gray sat down by the desk with furrowed brows, before scanning the titles of the books on the table. He had a lot of reading to do.

* * *

Meanwhile Lucy found herself taking a deep breath as she was about to enter the holding cells onboard the Empress. Bart had explained her that they rarely used them as they seldom took prisoners, so this was actually the first time Lucy set her foot inside. The entrance to the cells was located in the middle of the deck and was usually covered by a lattice, which had been pulled back and was now looming over her. There was something unsettling about going into a dungeon on a ship, possibly the fact that it was one of her friends that had been imprisoned and was being interrogated, but Lucy brushed it aside, remembering that he had attacked her out of the blue.

Kai was the first one – well, the only one actually - to notice her when she strode in with all of the confidence she could muster. He quickly glanced at Ed, whose arms were crossed and chin was resting on his chest. His light snoring had filled out the otherwise unbearable silence, and the young pirate had been extremely grateful for not being alone. Jumping up, he quickly made his way to Lucy, meeting her halfway. Doing his best to conceal the frown forming on his face, he stopped in front of the blonde, who grimaced a little in turn.

"Purple usually suits me." Lucy commented dryly, moving past Kai, whose eyes lingered on the horrible bruises around her neck. He couldn't believe that his own brother had been the cause of those bruises and silently followed Lucy, who was waking Ed up.

"Blimey lass! Don't be sneakin' up on people like that!" Ed jerked back when he saw her inches from his face. The older pirate blinked a couple of times, still not completely awake, before addressing the blonde mage in front of him.

"How are ye feelin'? He asked softly, eyes going to her neck. He knew she was tough, but anyone would have been shaken up after being ambushed like she had.

"It doesn't hurt that much." Lucy mumbled as her eyes swept the empty cells, until they rested on the lone figure in the very last one. He was staring blankly into the air and showed no signs of awareness. He would blink every few seconds, but the motion seemed sluggish and sometimes a flicker of confusion came over his features, but other than that Mateo wasn't responsive.

"He hasn't said anything the past few hours." Kai told her as he gazed absently at his brother, still trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Lucy's brown eyes shifted from one brother to the other as she tried to think of what they could do to snap him out of his daze.

"I'ma go see the cap'n for a bit lassie, ye can handle this." Ed announced as he stood up and stretched. Patting Lucy's head, he moved past the two young people and made his way outside.

"Hey, Lucy?" Kai asked a few moments after Ed had left. The blonde turned her attention back to her companion, and prompted him to continue.

"Do ye think he's been possessed?" The nipper asked, his voice just above a whisper. Lucy's eyes widened once she processed Kai's question. Just earlier that day they'd tried to exorcise whatever ghost or demon that had been haunting the Empress, why didn't she think of that?

"We still have some holy water left, right?" She asked, as she turned to run back to her room. Kai put a hand on her arm and told her he would get it and in a few long strides he had reached the exit. Lucy let out a small sigh of frustration. Shaking her head she looked over her shoulder and almost jumped when she saw that Meteo's eyes were fixated on her every movement. She hadn't even heard him move, but he was pressed flush against the bars of the cell gripping them tightly. Lucy involuntarily took a step back and stumbled into a wooden crate, letting out a gasp of pain that stopped Kai in his tracks and made him turn around.

"Can you hear me?" She asked Mateo once she had taken a few breaths to calm herself. Moving her weight to the other foot, she felt goose bumps crawl all over her skin as those steel grey eyes followed the slight motion. Mateo was completely silent and just kept staring at her.

"Careful." Kai called out anxiously, fidgeting where he stood. He could feel panic rise in his chest, but forced himself to breathe deeply. The way Mateo's eyes were transfixed on Lucy was unnerving and his behavior was…unnatural to say at best.

"Let's go get the holy water." Lucy spoke and stepped away from the cell. Kai followed her outside and told two of the pirates loitering around to keep watch until they returned. Usually, they would have commented something about not taking orders from the nipper, but sensing his distress they let it slide and went down to the cells. That, or Lucy's new authority made them go in without complaints.

It took them no time to retrieve the flask they had put Lucy's holy water away in. Lucy had briefly updated Gray when they entered the room, but had declined his offer to help them, because he had been nose deep in a book and taking notes. He told her he was researching and promised to let her know if he found something that could explain the 'curse' on the Empress. So far, they were both looking into possession by evil spirits. Meanwhile, Kai had gone to the captain's quarters and updated Ed on the situation, before meeting back up with the blonde.

Once Ed and Kai returned, Lucy uncapped the flask containing her holy water and said her prayer as she splashed it over Mateo. Initially, he just sputtered and coughed, but that was the first response to anything that he'd had for hours. Then he rubbed his eyes vigorously and cursed in Piratese, not noticing the three pair of eyes on him. Finally his coughing fit was over and he looked around in confusion. He was wet, standing on the floor of a cell and three persons were staring at him like he was a ghost.

"Shark got your tongue?" He asked and raised one of his eyebrows. He noticed that Kai was looking relieved, Ed astonished and Lucy grim and he didn't know how to interpret the situation. He didn't get to ask anything else as Kai threw open the door of the cell and flung himself on his brother. Mateo caught off guard by the public display of affection awkwardly put his arm around Kai.

After letting him go, Kai launched into the story of how he had ended up in the cell and by the time he was done Mateo's eyes were fixed on Lucy's neck and the bruises he had given her. He couldn't believe what had happened and felt a knot in his stomach every time he made eye contact with her. The blonde seemed strangely unfazed by hearing the recollection, but her brows knitted together every now and then. Ed had once again gone off to let Bart know that Mateo was back to normal and they all trekked their way to the captain's cabin, where they spent the next hour questioning the young pirate.

"So you don't even remember what happened?" Lucy asked for the third time, getting increasingly frustrated. Mateo had started his day like any other, but his memory got foggier as the day went on and he couldn't recall a single thing. It was like he had stepped into a mist sometime in the morning and then kept walking until he was completely engulfed.

"Nay." He sighed. His stomach had been growling for the past five minutes and it was making him impatient. Apparently, being possessed made you hungry. Mateo didn't like the idea of anything possessing him and it sounded more like something out of the tales Dagger told, but he had no other explanation as to what had happened.

"Let the poor lad breathe, Lucy." Bart spoke, his deep voice slightly amused, but also firm and commanding. They were getting nowhere and he could see the exhaustion on Mateo's face as well as the tension in Lucy's. It would do the younglings good to take a break and rest up a little, which he told them and ushered them out of his office.

Once he was alone, he rose from his chair and stood by the triple pane window behind his desk as he did whenever he was lost in thought. Letting his eyes roam over the water as the sun started setting, he hoped to catch a glimpse of whatever was hunting his men, but the waves revealed nothing. The longer he stared at the water, the sillier he felt for being paranoid. He had two powerful mages on his ship and a whole crew who knew how to handle a sword, there was nothing to be worried about. Sighing, Bart closed his eyes for a moment and returned to his mahogany desk, pouring over his maps and parchments. The captain was convinced he was imagining things, because he couldn't stop hearing a distant wailing.

* * *

It was rowdy as usual down in the galley, but this night there was some tension in the air that Mateo tried his best to ignore. Of course he had noticed the side-ways glances he had been receiving from the other pirates, but no one had said anything to him. He didn't blame them for not being chummy with him; he had after all attacked Lucy in front of the crew and injured a few of his fellow pirates. That, however, didn't mean he approved of the bastard-might-still-be-possessed-better-ignore-him-an'-pretend-he-isn't-batshit-crazy-tactic. He'd rather they confronted him and challenged him to a duel upfront. He returned his attention to the food in front of him and spooned some potatoes into his mouth. He was squashed between Kai and Ed, and in front of him were Lucy, Dagger and the Ice Mage. Lucy was fending off Romano's somewhat harmless advances and Mateo watched the interaction between her and the others at the table.

There was something special about Lucy. She had the ability to make everyone feel welcome and create a setting that no one wanted to leave from. She reminded him so much of his little sister that he sometimes had to stop himself from calling her Elyana. Kai had the same personality as their sister and although Lucy vaguely resembled her in appearance, it was this ability to enthrall her company that was so much like his baby sister.

Before Elyana fell ill, she had wanted to become a teacher so she could share all of her knowledge with others. Remembering how she would crawl onto his bed and explain whatever she had read, made him feel warm inside. The warmth was replaced by an ache he could never fulfill, and he remembered how she slowly lost all her energy and became a shell of her bubbly self. Refusing to relive the day she passed away, Mateo looked to his left and saw Kai waiting in anticipation for the conclusion of Lucy's story.

Listening to the blonde's story put him a little at ease and some of the warmth returned to him. That was until his eyes once again fell on her bruises, and he felt bile rise to his throat. A prickling on his neck told him he was being watched and this time he looked up to find the ice mage's blue eyes calmly observing him. Gray looked like he was ready to pounce if Mateo as much as stepped a toe out of line, which the pirate acknowledged.

"Nice punch." Mateo commented off handedly. He harbored no warm feelings for Lucy's teammate and wasn't trying to extend an olive branch either. He merely admitted that it had been a good punch since it knocked the living daylights out of him. That took skill, which apparently the ice mage possessed.

Gray had only been half-listening to Lucy telling about Magnolia's harvest festival; instead he had kept an eye on Mateo the whole night. Even Gray could tell that he was being somewhat shunned by the other pirates except for a few, so he didn't feel it necessary to make the pirate feel miserable. He figured Mateo was doing that just fine on his own, if his guilty looks in Lucy's direction were anything to go by.

Lucy was in the middle of one of her stories when Gray saw the pirate fidget. He had been quiet all night, but had remained calm. If he was planning on ambushing Lucy again, Gray would skin him alive. Tensing up, he observed him as different emotions crossed the pirate's face. He looked relaxed, then sad and then relaxed again, before he noticed that Gray was looking at him. Hearing his comment made Gray loosen up a little, and he merely nodded at the faint praise. It wasn't long before Kai announced that he and his brother would be hitting the sack and left the table.

Now that Lucy wasn't in immediate danger, Gray let himself feel a little bit of the satisfaction from knocking Mateo out that he had kept at bay all day. It had felt good to blow off some steam earlier, even if his first priority had been to help his friend. He was glad that she was feeling well enough to participate in the usual evening activities. She and Dagger more often than not told stories around dinner, and Gray found that he enjoyed listening to them more and more. Inspired of the events that had transpired earlier, Dagger was telling a story about a sailor who committed crimes and claimed that a woman in his dreams told him to do it. Hearing this made Lucy freeze up beside the old pirate, which they all noticed.

"Luce?" Gray asked tentatively, worried that she was about to faint or something. Her mouth had formed a small 'o' and her eyes suddenly snapped to his. The pirates had no idea how to react and merely stared at the beautiful mage, hoping for some clarification.

"The siren's song!" She exclaimed and scrambled to her feet, nearly knocking her food over in the process. Gray followed suit and trailed right behind her as she rambled on. From the corner of his eye, he faintly registered Ed getting up and following them.

"Sirens! It all makes sense now, why didn't I see that myself?!" She crossed the deck and threw open the door to their cabin and headed straight for her desk. She grabbed one book after the other while muttering incoherently to herself. Meanwhile Ed had appeared in the doorway, looking equally as confused as the ice mage.

"What's going on Lucy?" Gray asked and stepped to the side as she reached for the chest beside her hammock. Flinging clothes out of her way, Lucy pulled out a book with yellowed pages and wrinkles in the spine, and hastily flipped through the pages. She finally stopped her frantic search and scanned the page before thrusting it at Gray, who let his eyes roam the page while Lucy started explaining.

"Sirens are mythological sea deities who lured sailors to their deaths with their enchanting voices! That's how they've been controlling the attackers every time. It wasn't a vengeful spirit, but a siren!" The stellar spirit mage said in a rush. It finally felt like she had come across something substantial with the sirens. First of all it would explain how Mateo had been 'possessed' and also how they could follow the Empress without being detected.

"But I haven't seen any strange bird women flying around." Gray argued. He had skimmed through the few pages about the half woman, half bird hybrids and wasn't convinced yet. How could they be sea deities if half of their body was a bird? Wouldn't it make more sense if they were part fish? Like mermaids, he reasoned.

"Aye lassie, sirens 're nothing more than wives tales." Ed added, frowning. Lucy deflated a tiny bit, but quickly regained her composure as she took the book back from Gray and tucked it under her arm. She understood why they didn't believe her – she had no proof after all, but she couldn't think of a reason why it shouldn't be sirens behind the attacks.

* * *

"I've been roaming the seas for many years, but never have I encountered a siren." Bart rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had been surprised to find Lucy marching back into his study for the third time that day, but the determined glint in her eyes told him she was sure of her discovery. He could understand the rationale behind her thoughts. It would make a lot of sense if sirens – or angry mermaids as Gray suggested – had been preying on his crew. If it was true, the puzzle was nearly complete and the mystery almost solved, but some crucial pieces were still missing. Why would sirens – or mermaids – be after him and his crew? And how many enemies were they dealing with? Voicing his concern, he took a moment to study the expressions of the two mages in front of him. Lucy was frowning and Gray's attention was solely on her.

"Well according to legend, sirens usually hunt in pairs of two or three, so I think it would be wise to assume that there is more than one, if, of course we really are dealing with sirens." She spoke slowly, letting her eyes roam over the sea behind Bart. For a second she looked haunted, but she quickly masked her emotions, putting on a neutral expression.

"You seem awfully insistent on the mermaids being behind this, Lucy." Gray noticed. He had watched her fidget in her seat ever since they entered the captain's office. Lucy stopped her fidgeting and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and quickly looked back down to inspect her fingernails.

"Are you hiding something?" Gray's question made her eyes widen a smidge and she stalled for a moment. She hadn't told anyone about seeing something scaly in the water, she had only confided in Kai about her nightmares. She looked over at Gray who immediately recognized her guilty look and prompted her to answer.

"I am pretty sure I saw one of these… creatures one of the first days I was standing guard. Other times, I felt like I was being watched, and when I would look around, I would see these red eyes that would vanish immediately." Lucy admitted, feeling silly for not bringing it up earlier. To be fair, she had only just found the connection between what she thought was her imagination and what kept attacking the Empress.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Gray asked, his tone turning harsh. It felt like Lucy kept hiding things from him and he felt anger slowly seep into his mind.

"I thought I was imagining it. And look, you're doing it again." Lucy pointed out, making the ice mage scrunch his brows together in confusion.

"Doing what?"

"Getting angry for no reason. You were doing it this morning as well." The blonde explained. Gray's abnormal behavior had also been part of the reason Lucy thought of the mythical creatures. If she was to guess, then the siren couldn't control him because of the magic he possessed, and therefore chose to enchant Mateo, who didn't have a drop of magic in him and wouldn't be able to put up resistance.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked, perplexed. He was sure their fight that morning stemmed from his jealou- no not jealousy, just his concern for her. He had been drinking the previous night, so the alcohol might have still affected him, he reasoned lamely.

"Remember when I woke up this afternoon? You told me I sang in my sleep, but I don't do that Gray, and if I did, you'd have experienced it countless times already." Lucy said. At first she had thought that she might have hummed in her sleep, but as far as she knew, she didn't even snore.

"Are you telling me I might have been… influenced by the mermaids?" The ice mage asked and suppressed a shudder. He remembered the voice he had heard that night. It had been a sweet, feminine melody that woke him up and although he was disoriented, he figured it was Lucy who was humming while she worked. Except, now that he thought about it, Lucy had gone to bed the instant she returned from the party, so it couldn't have been her.

"Yes. Otherwise you wouldn't have been so angry at me." She leaned back a little in her chair. She was hoping she had argued the points of her hypothesis well enough, but she had to admit that it sounded far-fetched. Gray had fallen silent and was mulling over what he had been told. He could see Lucy's point, but mermaids preying on pirates? That was unheard of.

"Or maybe it is my proximity that shields you?" Lucy mumbled and glanced in the ice mage's direction, before letting her eyes fall back to the image of the siren in the book on her lap.

"How do we prove it is mermaids?" Bart asked thoughtfully. He was sure Lucy had already thought of a plan and he was keen on hearing how she would go about it.

"That's obvious isn't it? We go fishing." Lucy grinned deviously.

* * *

 **I hope you're as excited for what is to come as I am! (=w=)/**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I only have one more pre-written chapter, so updates may slow down from here on out. Thank you so much for all the lovely review, I am glad you are enjoying the story!**

* * *

The following hours were spent discussing Lucy's plan which was fairly simple in its entity. Assuming that the sirens were following the Empress at all times, they would strike as soon as possible. Lucy explained that there might have been a pattern to the attacks that were related to the sea currents, how far out on open waters they were as well as what the situation on the Empress was. The goal was to catch at least one mermaid and to do so they needed to prepare a cage of some sort that could withstand extreme force, since they didn't know the strength of their enemy. The waves had been pretty harsh lately and there had been no attack on the Empress for more than a week, which was a little unsettling and added to Lucy's growing paranoia.

"What if the sea is too rowdy for the mermaids to attack?" Gray asked with a frown. Lucy's plan wasn't bad, but it was all based on assumption. For all they knew, it could be a deranged octopus behind the attacks, poisoning people with its magic ink.

"That'll only be lucky for us." Lucy answered thoughtfully. She agreed that her plan wasn't perfect, but for now it was all they had to go on. Gray didn't look convinced and was about to say something else when Ed spoke up.

"I'll see what I can do about the cage." The older pirate volunteered. He had some experience with smithing and was confident he could manage tp put something together. He would probably have to take apart a few cells, but it would be worth it if they caught a mermaid. The new protective coating they had bought for the ship might come in handy as well, he mused.

"I don't know, Lucy. It sounds too risky. There isn't even any guarantee that we are being tailed." Gray, always the voice of reason, said. The captain had been quiet for a while but from his facial expression seemed to be taking Lucy's side, if that was even possible. He looked curious and somewhat apprehensive, but hadn't objected to the blonde's strategy.

"I say we do it, me hearty. Lassie has a plan an' we could use some fresh feed." Ed defended Lucy, sounding gruff. Gray's brows furrowed, but he didn't say anything further.

"Aye. Lucy you'll be in charge of the operation." Bart decided and pulled out a tin of tobacco to prepare a smoke. Gray sighed and leaned back in his seat. There was no arguing with the captain and one of his highest ranking mates, but maybe he could convince Lucy to drop it when it was just the two of them.

"Alright. About the distraction we should make…" The discussion went on for some time, but finally a decision was made. Lucy sat back, feeling absolutely drained, and winced when she touched the bruises on her neck. It still hurt to swallow, but the pain had lessened gradually during the day.

"Lass, ye need to hit the hay. No more thinking! Gray, take her back, will ye?" Ed commanded when he noticed Lucy rubbing her eyes more than once. He tried his best at looking stern and felt a bit of satisfaction when the blonde hesitated for a moment.

"I'm fine. I just need to focus…" Lucy knew she was stretching it, but she tried anyway. One look at Gray, however, and she knew she could have spared the effort. He was already standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting for her to get up.

"Lucy you need to rest. You can't keep pushing yourself like this." Gray's eyes went to her bruises and back up again. She looked at him defiantly, insisting that she was fine, but the ice mage stared right back and held her gaze for what felt like minutes.

" _Fine_." Lucy got out of her seat with a huff and stomped her way out of Bart's office, pointedly ignoring the captain's amused chuckles. She could hear Gray trailing behind her, but didn't stop and wait for him. His legs were longer than hers, so he could easily catch up to her if he wanted to. She sped up, not wanting to talk to him. She knew she was being petty, but she had wanted him to be supportive of her plan and it annoyed her that he had been her biggest opponent from the get go.

"Lucy." He called out to her and something in the way he had called her name made her stop and look over her shoulder. He had said her name so tenderly that she couldn't stop herself from turning fully and taking him in. It had gotten dark now and the moon had risen, so Gray was bathed in silvery light that made him look paler than usual.

"Want to play Truth?" She detected a hint of vulnerability in his question, almost as if he was afraid she would turn him down. Regarding him for a few moments, she nodded.

"Is something bothering you?" Gray stepped closer and put a hand on her arm. His eyes bore into hers, but only displayed his concern and she instantly felt bad for being a brat.

"Yes… It feels like you've spent the entire evening opposing everything I say." Lucy sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. All the fight she had left in her disappeared like mist under the sun.

"I have. You tend to get so focused on your ideas that it borders on being reckless. I know it's your job to figure out this mess, but you don't have to be rash. I just want you to be safe." Gray explained and stepped in to put his arms around her. It had been a long day and Lucy had been through so much already. The bruises on her neck looked even darker in the moonlight and the ice mage tightened his hold around her protectively.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being unreasonable." Lucy apologized and sank into his embrace. Being held so closely felt comforting and some of the tension in Lucy's body melted away. She exhaled shakily and shivered a little from the cold, snuggling closer to Gray's warmth.

"You should go to bed." He murmured against her hair. Gray had her head tucked under his chin and tried to shield her from the wind with the rest of his body, but he could still feel the light shivering of er body.

"In a minute." Lucy spoke into his chest and turned her head so it was resting on his shoulder. Gray was warm and smelled like cedar wood which made Lucy breathe a little deeper than was necessary. He didn't pull away, just held her in place and waited until she was ready.

"Just promise me you won't do anything reckless." Gray was playing with Lucy's hair at the end of her ponytail while he spoke, but it only served to distract her and she almost forgot to reply.

"I promise." Lucy answered and pulled back to look him in the eye.

"Good girl." Gray dropped a kiss on her head before leading her inside, not noticing the flush that appeared on Lucy's cheeks. She followed quietly when he opened the door to their cabin and went inside. She felt a little out of breath and discreetly touched her fingers to where Gray had kissed her hair. Lucy was aware that it only was an affectionate gesture and that she was probably reading too much into it, but over the past week, she had found herself wanting to receive more of these affectionate gestures.

It wasn't that they weren't already close, but their casual touches now lingered and occurred more often. Lucy could hardly remember the last time they had spent so much time together with only the two of them, and aside from their fight this morning - which seemed to have an external cause - they weren't constantly getting on each other's nerves. Spending so many days together would usually make Lucy want to have some quiet time to herself, but that wasn't what she was feeling right now. Right now she was feeling warm and fuzzy all over.

Gray had already stripped off his shirt – a sight she was so used to by now – and was about to get into his hammock when he noticed Lucy standing rooted to the spot on the middle of the floor. He stopped and looked at her curiously, waiting for her to do or say something, but she just kept looking at him with a soft expression on her face. She looked almost serene, Gray thought.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a half-smile when Lucy's eyes snapped to his and her cheeks pinked. Her nickname was so fitting and Gray couldn't wait to spread it when they returned to the guild. Lucy would never get rid of it again.

"Yeah." The soft expression returned when she locked eyes with him and Gray felt warmth spreading in his chest. He had to physically stop himself from walking over and hugging her again, so he sat down in his hammock and watched her as she started moving around and got ready for bed.

"Gray?" Lucy asked after a while. She had been about to turn off the oil lamp at her desk, but there was something that she needed to know.

"What is it?" He asked. Lucy's fingers hovered over the tiny dial that would cut off the air supply and she felt herself getting nervous. Peering at him through her eyelashes, she felt heat rise to her cheeks once more.

"Are you… Do you… um… feel something… for me?" Lucy asked. She watched as his eyes widened and she wanted to take it back, but she found herself waiting for his reply. She wanted to know. Gray relaxed once more and the corner of his mouth lifted.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I do. Goodnight Lucy." The ice mage shot her a small smile that sent shivers down her spine. Lucy put out the flame and climbed into her bed, cheeks blazing. She couldn't believe she had actually asked him! She had wanted to know if he had also felt the change in their friendship, but she straight up asked if he had feelings for her. And he hadn't denied it. Rather, he had confirmed it with a confidence that made Lucy's knees feel weak.

' _Calm down, Lucy. He just said he feels something for you. It could easily mean respect or admiration. Don't jump to conclusions yet.'_ Inner Lucy dug her heels in. She wanted his feelings to be more than friendly, but she didn't dare think that was what he had meant. Still, the way he had smiled at her like she had discovered a secret he had been keeping, made Lucy's heart beat just a bit faster. She had to get a grip, she told herself. By some miracle, Lucy fell asleep with Daggers words resounding in her head. _He's got the itch._

* * *

The next morning, Lucy woke with a start and let out a loud gasp. She had dreamed about Mateo attacking her, but this time she had been all alone on the Empress when he appeared and bared his fangs, which had been razor sharp like an animals. He had ripped out her throat with no hesitation. The dream left Lucy panting and she felt the ghost of the pirate's hand close around her throat again.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Gray immediately appeared beside her hammock and knelt down, before putting his hand on her arm. His stomach dropped when she flinched away from his touch, but her erratic breathing slowed once she recognized him.

"Sorry, bad dream." She mumbled and swung her legs over the hammock to plant them on the floor. The constant rocking of the ship didn't feel comforting any longer and was starting to make her nauseous.

"It's okay, you're safe here." Gray spoke softly and took her hands in his own, bringing them up to his lips once before placing them back on her lap, not letting go of them. Lucy nodded and tried to get her breathing under control. It took a few minutes before she was completely calm, but Gray remained by her side the whole time, which she was grateful for.

"Thanks Gray. I'm okay." Lucy smiled weakly and waited for his eternally embedded frown to disappear. She knew he only frowned out of concern for her, but she nearly let out a laugh at the sight anyway. He was bound to get wrinkles early.

"Are you sure?" He asked slowly. He had been surprised that she didn't wake up screaming in the middle of the night, but he was glad he had still been inside their cabin when she woke up. He didn't want her to wake up to an empty room and think she had been abandoned.

"Positive." Lucy nodded and went to stand, pulling him up with her along the way.

"I've been thinking about something." Gray relented and let go of her hands that he had been clutching all the while. He watched as Lucy stretched her sore limbs and made a humming noise, prompting him to continue.

"Why didn't any of your spirits appear when you were in danger?" He asked and watched her eyes widen with surprise. Lucy's brows scrunched together for a moment before she sighed.

"Either it went too fast for them to notice or I've exhausted them by having them stand around all day." The blonde explained. She didn't like the thought of having drained her spirits of magic by keeping them with her most of the time. She had, after all, kept two gates open simultaneously a lot lately.

Or maybe they hadn't reacted because help had been near? Lucy glanced at Gray through her lashes, feeling gratitude all over again. He caught her looking and sent her one of his half smiles and Lucy could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. Heat rising to her cheeks, she turned around and started to walk out, Gray following right behind her.

After breakfast the two mages went to the holding cells to see how Ed was doing with constructing a cage for their mermaid hunt. They had all agreed it would be better to forge it down here, where no one could see it rather than on the deck or in the crew's sleeping quarters.

"Ahoy!" Lucy greeted cheerfully once she spotted the bandana clad pirate. He had pried off the doors to two cells and the iron grids were lying harmlessly on the floor. Ed had his back turned against them and was bent down to examine something in front of him when her heard Lucy call out.

"Ahoy Sweetcheeks and Gray." He nodded curtly and straightened up from where he had been hunched over, cursing when his back gave an audible crack. Lucy and Gray winced simultaneously, but kept their mouths shut.

"Ahoy Lucy!" Kai's head popped out from one of the cells behind the two mages. He grinned cheekily when Gray's brows rose in surprise and instead asked Lucy how she was feeling.

"I'm okay. Why are you in a cell?" She questioned after a moment of silence. Faintly she could hear Ed curse some more when he lost sight of his hammer and rummaged around the mess he had created all over the floor.

"Working!" He chirped and ducked back inside to continue tinkering with the materials and tools he had lined up against the cell wall.

"Nipper's finally being useful." Ed grumbled somewhat fondly and shot a look towards the younger pirate who was working away diligently.

"D'you guys need any more help?" Gray asked and took a step closer, carefully examining the piles of junk. It appeared that Ed had a system to all the mess he had created, but neither Gray nor Lucy could figure out how it was arranged. Lucy did, however notice how Gray shortened his words like the pirates did and smiled to herself.

"Nay lad, we've got- OI! Watch it you ingrate!" Ed bellowed and ducked as a wrench came flying towards him and smacked into the wall, before clattering loudly to the floor. The second he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, Gray grabbed Lucy and pulled her behind him, shielding her with his body.

He was ready to hear her protests about him being overprotective and smothering her, when she was fully capable of handling herself, thank you very much, but the complaints never came. Instead, he found that she was peering over his shoulder curiously, completely content with being shielded by him. Confusion rose in Gray, but he quickly brushed it aside. She was probably not going to object to his protection as long as it didn't become unbearable. Gray was being a bit more protective than usual, but she had just been attacked by a crazy pirate and his nerves were a little on end, so sue him.

"Sorry!" Kai called out and waved a hand in Ed's direction, not turning around or retrieving his wrench, much to the older pirate's annoyance. Clattering of tools could be heard from the cell the nipper was in, but with his back to them, the two mages couldn't see much of what he was doing.

"Bilge rat…" He grumbled under his breath and shook his head before bending back down and sorting through the junk on the floor.

"Have you come up with a design for the cage?" Lucy asked and finally walked around Gray and closer to Ed once she was sure no more tools came flying.

"Aye lass. Lookit me plan." Ed pointed to a rough sketch he had pinned to the surface of the metal grid on one of the intact cells. Lucy and Gray moved closer to inspect his blueprint, trying their best not to step on the parts he had assembled into piles.

"You sure it'll be strong enough?" Gray asked after looking the sketch over, making Ed grunt in response.

"'course it will." He waved the ice mage off and started hauling part of the grid upright from the floor. He already had the bottom and the back of the cage connected, but was having trouble adjusting one of the sides to fit into the junctions he had planned. Gray moved forward to help, but Ed's voice cut him off and stopped his advance.

"Nipper get ye arse over 'ere!" Ed called loudly and motioned for the young pirate to join him. Kai scrambled out of his open cell and came to a stop beside his senior, instantly lending a hand where Ed needed him without any words spoken between them.

"Do you think it'll hold?" Gray directed his question to Lucy who was still looking over the sketch, eyebrows knit together in concentration.

"Hm? Probably. I can ask Loke to help weld it together and strengthen its structure." She replied thoughtfully and looked down as a faint glow was emitted from her keys, meaning her spirits were probably listening. Gray easily recognized Lucy's thinking-look and waited for her to reveal what she was thinking. Taking a few steps closer to the half-complete metal structure, she let her eyes scan the surface and catiously put her hand on its side. One more look at the sketch and she spilled.

"Maybe I can reinforce it with runes. That should make it more durable and hopefully block any magic the sirens might possess." The blonde ran her finger along the metal grid under the piece of paper and examined the uneven texture of the iron.

"Sounds like a plan." Gray replied and hid his smile by turning away and watching Ed instruct Kai in how to piece together the different segments of the cage. Of course Lucy's gigantic brain got to work right away and already thought up improvements to a pretty solid design. He hoped Ed wouldn't take offence to Lucy's modification of his creation.

The two mages left the pirates alone to work and headed back up to the deck for another day of standing around and doing nothing. Lucy had taken to staring intently at the water for minutes at a time, willing something - _anything_ \- to jump up and attack them. Gray could sense the pent off frustration rolling off her in waves and the fourth time she slowed to a stop and watched the waters, he finally caved in and addressed it.

"Are you okay Lucy? You've been glaring at the water for three minutes straight." The ice mage watched her carefully as she turned her head and blinked at him owlishly.

"I'm just worried that we're wrong and it's something else after the crew." The blonde mage sighed and rested her arms on the railing. Lucy's head hurt and she wanted to take a nap, but she also wanted to stay outside in the fresh air. The salty breeze helped clear her head. Also, Gray was there to keep her company and that beat the empty cabin with the constantly swinging hammock any day.

"Worried that _we_ are wrong or that you are?" The ice mage challenged, his tone a little sharper than intended. Lucy shifted on the spot, but didn't say anything at first. She didn't seem offended by his words, just thoughtful.

"Both? I don't know. Of course I want to be right about the sirens, but it's kind of scary when you think about it. Sirens are mythical creatures and I don't know how it will be to suddenly discover one following the ship." Lucy's fingers drummed a steady beat on the cold railing and she glanced at Gray from the corner of her eye.

"Dragons are mythical creatures too." Gray mumbled, but she heard him and chuckled lightly. She smiled up at him before returning her gaze to the waters.

"Maybe I am overthinking." Lucy pondered. For the past hour her brain had been buzzing constantly and she hadn't been able to focus on one thing for more than a couple minutes at a time. She needed to get her thoughts under control and focus on her mission. Exhaling through her nose, Lucy didn't notice Gray's eyes on her.

"Maybe." He agreed and took notice of his teammate's tense shoulders and the way her eyes darted around every now and then. He wouldn't blame her for being paranoid after what she had experienced recently. He just hoped they would catch a mermaid and get this mission over with so his blonde friend could feel at ease again.

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 **A little on the short side, but it'll have to do. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! (=w=)/**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This is the last of the pre-written chapters, so from here on out updates will be every second week. Thank you so much for all your kind reviews and I apologize if I haven't responded to you privately.**

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"So Princess, I was thinking that you should formally sign a contract with Gray and summon him whenever. He's already taken over our job of protecting you." Loke stated nonchalantly as he fiddled with the metal bars of the newly constructed cage, but his words held no real ill intent.

"Ha ha, very funny. If you'd just done your job, I wouldn't have had to sock the brat in the face." Gray muttered sourly from beside the spirit of the lion. They were helping Ed and Lucy put the finishing touches on the cage before taking it for a test run and Loke was poking fun at Gray every opportunity he got.

"Ah, but then I wouldn't have gotten to see you cradle Lucy in your arms! And we both know that you wanted to hit him sooo bad." Loke laughed and adjusted his glasses on his nose, making his rings gleam in the sparse sunlight in the cells. Gray muttered something under his breath that only Loke caught, which only made the spirit laugh harder.

"He's not that much younger than you." Lucy pointed out and narrowed her eyes at the piece of paper she was clutching in her hand. The runes she had chosen to apply to the cage were flowing together in front of her eyes. She had developed a headache the previous day, which had only gotten worse and now she was starting to feel sick on top of everything. She walked away from her working boys and tried to find a spot with more light so that she could see her writing better.

"Funny, he sure acts like a brat." Gray replied dryly and tightened some of the bolts he could spot along the grid. The cage was simple enough in its entity, but Ed had somehow constructed it so it worked like a puzzle. Certain bolts and handles needed to be pulled into their proper places to open it.

"You're just jealous of him. That's why you hate his guts." Loke teased and started moving his hands along the metal cage, infusing it with his magic and welding it together at the joints for more stability. When Gray remained quiet for more than a few seconds, Loke stopped what he was doing and turned to his guildmate, gaping.

"Seriously?" He asked incredulously, but remembered to lower his voice so Lucy didn't hear him.

"Of course not, and shut up. I'm trying to work here." Gray rolled his eyes irritably and focused his attention to a screw that needed to be pushed farther in.

"Dude, what is going on? I thought you and Lucy had a thing?" The lion spirit whispered and his eyes bore into Gray's head. If the ice mage was playing with Lucy, there would be hell to pay and Leo would personally ensure that the ice mage suffered as much as possible.

"Yeah. No. Ugh, whatever." Gray sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. The damn screw was stuck and he didn't want to apply even more force and possibly break the structure and Loke's nosiness wasn't helping at all.

"What does that even mean?" The lion's eyes flashed dangerously and his voice took on an edge that Gray hadn't heard in a long time. He knew Loke was serious and wanted to shut down the issue before the spirit got too riled up and Lucy heard them.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. It _feels_ like there is something between us, but I can't very well ask her when she was just attacked." Gray snapped at him and sighed in irritation. This whole mission was getting on his nerves. He had been delayed by weeks and was potentially dealing with angry mermaids on a mission he just happened to stumble in on. He still hadn't found the object he had been asked to retrieve, partly because he hadn't really paid it much thought since becoming closer with Lucy. And then there was that aching in his chest whenever they were together that kept distracting him and made his insides go all gooey.

Glancing in her direction, Gray could feel warmth spread in his chest at the sight of his blonde teammate studying the inscription on the paper. Her hair fell over her shoulder and her eyes were focused, but the light caught them just right and made them sparkle. She was absolutely stunning and he knew it, but there was something that wasn't quite right with the way she was holding the paper so close to her face.

"Why not?" Loke hadn't missed the way his friend's eyes searched for his princess, but he only saw admiration in Gray's eyes when he looked back at the spirit of the lion. The ice mage smiled ruefully and was about to elaborate when the blonde returned, mumbling about her handwriting being incomprehensible.

"Are you almost done? I'd like to finish the cage as soon as possible." Lucy looked up at them when she neared the cage that loomed over her. Since they didn't know the size of the mermaids, they had made it pretty spacious to accommodate them.

"In a second, Princess." Loke's usual goofiness returned without skipping a beat, but Gray didn't miss the pointed look he received. Their conversation wasn't over and he knew how persistent the lion spirit was when it came to his owner and her safety.

"Stop calling me that." Lucy mumbled absently as she passed her spirit. Her eyes were trained on the points of the grid she had chosen as the pillars to her runes, so she didn't see the smirk that crept onto his face.

"Oh, right. You go by Sweetcheeks now." He snickered and very wisely dispelled himself when Lucy whirled around with murderous intent oozing from her. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she sought her target and she felt the faint hum of magic coursing under her skin.

" _Gray!"_ She hissed menacingly and slowly approached the ice mage, who far too late realized the danger he was in.

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A few bruises later, Gray was almost done finishing the cage with Ed and Kai, who had returned just in time to save him from being pummeled by an angry, blonde mage. She still glared at Gray every now and then for letting the nickname reach her spirits, but she figured they would have found out sooner or later anyway.

"You can start now, Lucy." Gray called and stepped back to give her some more working space. He had briefly told the pirates of what she intended to do, so they were also standing next to him, watching in fascination when magic started flowing from her fingertips.

Gray observed Lucy when she started working and for the umpteenth time found himself admiring her skill. She was amazing. Lucy was a fantastic strategist and a surprisingly strong fighter, who possessed a will of steel as a result of many years of friendship with a certain dragon slayer. She was completely calm and focused as she started working on the first set of runes and her hand moved swiftly along the metal grid, inscribing symbols as she went. Gray's eyes moved from her slender arms over the curve of her back and up at her long pony tail that swished with her every movement. He knew it was wrong to just _stare_ at her while she worked, but he couldn't help himself. She was captivating and he was slowly becoming more trapped in the mess that was his feelings.

"Blimey." Ed whistled and muttered something to Kai, who nodded eagerly in return.

"She's amazing, right?" Gray swelled with pride when the two pirates made agreeing sounds, their eyes glued to his teammate, who was bathed in a greenish light from the runes. They watched silently for the remaining time and only stepped closer when the runes glowed brightly all at once and then stopped emitting light.

"Lass, is there anything ye can't do?" Ed put a hand on her shoulder and nervously looked up at the cage. The runes had been etched onto the surface and were barely visible at a distance of a few meters.

"I don't know how to wield a sword." Lucy grinned cheekily after a moment's consideration, secretly happy and proud that she was receiving praise from the bandana wearing pirate.

"And people used'ta believe birds were witches and brought bad luck." Kai shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest dramatically.

When he did, he looked so much like his older brother that Gray had to remind himself that he actually liked this pirate and not glower at him like he would at his brother. Speaking of which, the older of the Twin Blades hadn't been around much since the previous evening. Gray wondered if Mateo was purposely putting distance between him and Lucy or was keeping to himself because the other pirates shunned him.

"I'll teach ye how to wield a sword. Then you'll be invincible!" Excitement got the better of Kai and he flailed his arms around too wildly and accidentally smacked Ed on the arm. Seeing regret and fear wash over his features, Gray and Lucy watched as he sprinted for his life with the older pirate barreling down the room and after him.

"Are you okay Lucy?" The ice mage finally addressed his teammate who let down her façade with a pained expression. He had watched as her brows had furrowed in concentration while she worked and had noticed that she seemed to overexert herself. She had poured too much magic into writing the runes, which in retrospect might be a blessing that they had been strengthened, but right now it was taking a toll on his teammate.

"I don't feel so good…" She admitted, which was unusual of her to do. Normally, she would insist that she was fine, but Gray remembered that she had been feeling kind of woozy since the previous day and it didn't help his growing concern for her.

"Maybe you should lie down for a while. Do you feel ill?" He asked and checked her temperature by putting his hand on her forehead. Sweat had formed along her hairline and made her hair stick to her face uncomfortably.

"My head hurts. I think I just need some air." The headache had returned full force once Lucy started writing the runes. Her throat had stopped hurting, but the pounding of her head had made it hard to focus on the runes. It felt like she was losing all of her energy and a deep aching settled into her bones.

"Let's go back to the cabin first." Gray suggested and put an arm around her waist, helping her walk. They hadn't walked too far before Lucy started wobbling on her feet and clutched onto his arm for support.

"Lucy?" Gray asked urgently and watched as her eyes started drooping, but he wasted no time waiting for her to faint. He put an arm under her legs and one behind her back and picked her up like she weighed nothing. Getting up the stairs took a little longer than expected, but by the time they were up on deck Lucy's head lolled to the side and her body went limp.

Fueled by adrenaline Gray rushed forwards and climbed up the last couple of stairs, yelling for someone to get a doctor. He made it to the cabin and set Lucy down gingerly while the resident doctor came rushing in. Gray hadn't expected Romano to show up with sleeves rolled back, all but sprinting over to where Lucy was lying motionless in her hammock. Ed and the two brothers had also entered the cabin and were waiting anxiously in the background.

"What happened to her?" The cook asked and knelt down in front of the blonde, opening her eyes one by one and calling her names a few times. When she didn't respond he tried shaking her shoulders – not too hard what with Gray and the other pirates breathing down his neck. Putting a hand on her forehead merely confirmed his suspicion of a fever.

"She told me her head hurt and couldn't walk straight, and then she passed out when I carried her out." Gray explained and ran a hand through his hair. His heart was still beating hard and he tried his best to calm down enough to be of help to the cook.

"Now that I think about it, she hasn't been feeling like herself for a few days, but it worsened overnight." The ice mage added as an afterthought. She had been cold a lot lately, was easily distracted and seemed unfocused at times, which was very unlike his Lucy.

"Maybe lassie overworked 'erself? She's been constantly planning and preparing for attacks." Ed suggested and watched as Romano felt her forehead with a grim expression.

"She's been using up a lot of her magic reserves too." Gray remembered her daily training sessions as well as experimenting with Solid Script and felt renewed worry gnawing at his stomach. How could he had been so careless and not noticed how much Lucy had been pushing herself?

"Will Lucy be alright?" Kai asked fearfully and knelt down next to the blonde to grab her hand. It felt clammy in his hand and for a brief moment images of his deceased sister flashed behind his eyes.

"I don't think it is hypothermia since her temperature hasn't dropped, but I want to keep her warm just in case." Romano mumbled and reached for the blanket at the end of her hammock, tucking it around her. Gray responded right away and grabbed the blankets from his own bed to add on top of her own. Mateo also darted out of the cabin and went to fetch even more blankets for her while Ed left to inform the captain of Lucy's sickness.

"In any case, we should try to wake her up and keep her covered." Romano told them and tried calling her name again.

Covered by additional layers of blankets, Lucy looked impossibly small in her bed. With her eyes closed and slight panting, she looked incredibly fragile and Gray felt a stab in his gut every time her face contorted with pain.

"Sweetcheeks!" Bart came hurrying in followed by Ed and came to a halt next to the bed. Watching the blonde mage lying completely still in her hammock made the captain anxious and he yearned to watch her walking about deck with a big smile on her face. He took a moment to school his features back into a neutral expression before addressing the others in the room.

"How long has she been like this?" He asked and straightened up. He had to maintain a calm appearance for his youngest crew member who was gripping Lucy's hand tightly and looked close to tears. Bart only had to glance at him to see that the nipper was reliving the loss of his sister and mother. The boy had really gotten attached to Lucy ever since their journey began and seemed greatly affected by the situation, so Bart didn't want to panic and make matters worse for him.

"It's been almost twenty minutes." Romano replied over his shoulder and started rummaging around in a satchel he had brought with him when he had been summoned. Gray hadn't even seen where Romano pulled out the satchel from and wondered if his perception was off.

Looking behind him, Bart noticed that Mateo's face was set in a grim expression while his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. Ed looked worried and was glancing between Romano and Lucy every few seconds, but Gray looked calm now. His posture was a little tense, but his demeanor was relaxed and attentive. Bart knew how much Lucy meant to him and was surprised to see him calm and collected instead of distressed.

The only explanation the captain of the Empress could think of was that he was putting up a brave face and was keeping his worry at bay by being useful and seeing to Lucy's needs. Every once in a while the ice mage would pinch the bridge of his nose and exhale through his nose, before returning to his calmer state of mind. Lucy's health was of utmost importance right now and Gray seemed to be acutely aware of the situation.

"Nipper go fetch me mortar and pestle." Romano had pulled out a wooden block and some herbs that he was starting to chop up when he addressed the young pirate. Kai started to rise, but was stopped by the cook's words.

"Not you, the other Nipper." He said without looking up from his makeshift workbench. He was preparing a foul mixture and he needed to grind some dried leaves from gynostemma and mix them with borage seed oil to hopefully break Lucy's fever and target flu like symptoms. Mateo left without complaint to retrieve the items he had been asked for.

"What are ye doing?" Ed asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice. He had once fallen victim to hypothermia and would rather go fishing for the Kraken than endure any more medical treatment from Romano.

"Lucy has a fever. Borage oil fights inflammation and the flowers are used to treat fever or lung infections. Since she's most likely suffering from fatigue I'm adding gynostemma leaves to strengthen her body and immune system. A little bit of dandelion won't hurt either, 's pretty good for detoxifying and then we add a handful other herbs for fun and giggles." The cook explained humorlessly as he worked with nimble fingers.

"Dandelion. It's also called fairy clock." Gray muttered and ran a hand through his hair. He faintly remembered Wendy telling him and the rest of Team Natsu about it months ago and found the irony of the name bittersweet. The clock was ticking for Lucy and every moment she stayed unconscious meant she was in increasing danger.

"Aye." Romano looked up a little and regarded the ice mage for a moment. He wasn't panicking, but worry lines were etched onto his face. The cook made a mental note to make some calming chamomile tea for both of the mages later.

Mateo returned carrying a granite mortar in his arms and with a grunt set it down in front of Romano, who wasted no time grinding up the dried leaves he had taken out of a small vial. A pained moan sounded from Lucy's hammock which only motivated the cook to complete his remedy even faster. Adding a dash of vanilla to mask the rancid smell of the mixture and Romano was ready to feed it to the blonde.

"Gray, we might have to force it down her throat, but I guarantee you Sweetcheeks will feel better afterwards. I added water to make it easier on her, but she might not be able to swallow it on her own." Romano hesitated before approaching the sleeping beauty in her bed and waited for her teammate to give his approval. Gray nodded once and walked over to where Lucy's head was resting on her pillow.

"Kai, keep her arms down." Gray mumbled as he carefully placed his hand under her head and elevated her torso to make the process easier. The blankets fell down to her middle and Lucy started shivering when she was hit with the cool air around her.

Gray carefully opened her mouth and waited for Romano to feed her the watery substance. Keeping one hand under her jaw, the ice mage watched as the cook tipped the small vial over Lucy's lips and tried his best angle her head so it would go down her throat which was a lot harder than he had thought. He managed to make her down a pretty decent amount, but some of the mixture spilled from her mouth onto her chin and Gray suppressed the urge to gag from the scent alone. Poor Lucy. Just as he had finished the thought, Lucy's eyes shot open and she started to trash about violently, coughing and sputtering.

"Make her drink it!" Romano yelled and grabbed her legs before she could start kicking. Gray reacted instantly and kept her mouth shut by force. Kai had gotten to his feet and was doing his best at restraining her arms, but let out a string of curses when she resisted. Ed and Bart rushed to the end of her bed and called her name urgently, hoping that she would recognize them and not think she was being forced to drink poison.

"Lucy just keep it down!" Gray hissed as he tried not to accidentally strangle her. Luckily, she seemed to have heard them and swallowed the remedy painfully. It couldn't have been easy being force fed something when she had just been injured the previous day. A whimper escaped her and tears sprung to her eyes once the horrible tasting substance had been downed.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I'm sorry." Gray apologized and let go of her jaw to take her face in his hands. His thumbs wiped away the stray tears that escaped her eyes and he stayed right in front of her, apologizing over and over. Sitting down on the edge of the hammock, he pulled the blonde closer and felt her clutch his shirt in her hands as she hid her face in his chest. He felt horrible for having scared her and each ragged breath she took pained him greatly. Loke was going to kill him.

"Sweetcheeks are you okay?" Kai's obvious worry made Lucy pull away from Gray and she realized the amount of people just staring at her.

"Lucy?" This time Bart called out to her and hesitantly reached out a hand. She was still shivering from the cold, which Gray noticed and pulled the blankets up around her again, but she was awake.

"What happened?" She asked hoarsely and winced when she could taste the medicine again. Bile rose in her throat and she gratefully accepted the glass of water Romano had procured out of nowhere and handed to her. Behind them, the pirates all exchanged glances and silently agreed they let the ice mage handle this part of the conversation.

"Do you remember passing out?" Gray asked gently and lowered her back down in her hammock when she was done drinking water. Her fever was still high and she was panting lightly, but that was leagues better than still being unconscious.

"I think so?" Lucy looked confused as she tried to recall the past hour. The headache still hadn't gone away completely, but was now reduced to a dull throbbing that annoyed her and made it hard to focus.

"Well, Sweetcheeks, ye're on bed rest for two days, so plenty of time to think about it." Romano declared as he rummaged around in his bag for more medicine. He grabbed a bottle of pills and started counting them out into a smaller glass bottle that he placed on Lucy's desk.

"Lucy, I forbid you from leaving this room until Romano says so. Ye scared me half to death!" Bart chastised and readjusted his hat that had been knocked askew in the frenzy. Lucy apologized and furrowed further down into the blankets. She was exhausted and suddenly very hungry. Looking up, Lucy made eye contact with Gray who was observing her intently and she smiled at him the best she could. Satisfied, the ice mage got up from the hammock, making it swing a little more.

"I didn't know you were a doctor?" Gray finally allowed himself to ask the cook now that Lucy seemed okay. Romano looked up at him with a smirk on his face and took his sweet time arranging the different supplements he wanted Lucy to take to keep her energy up.

"I'm not. Me family owned an apothecary so my knowledge of medicinal plants and common medicines comes in handy." He winked at Lucy, glad to see her smiling back weakly.

"Why, did you think I wouldn't have someone to care for my crew?" Bart chuckled at Gray's stunned expression. The captain turned to Ed who was pointedly looking away and keeping his mouth shut lest he remind Romano that he had been neglecting his health.

"Not everyone has a dragon slayer who knows healing magic on their team, Gray." Lucy pointed out from her position in her hammock. Lying down when everyone was still standing up made it hard to participate in the conversation around her.

"A dragon slayer?!" Kai gasped in awe and looked at the mages with stars twinkling in his eyes. He looked from Lucy to Gray in disbelief and waited for them to elaborate.

"Her name is Wendy and she's a couple years younger than you." Gray told the pirate who was practically bouncing from excitement and started asking rapid fire questions about her magic.

"Calm down Nipper, yer givin' me a headache!" Ed smacked Kai on the back of his head to make him shut up. He was happy the nipper was excited, but there was a sick person in the room and he needed to be more considerate. Looking over at Lucy, who looked relieved, just enforced the thought that Kai was too loud.

"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly. His brother, who still hadn't said much, appeared next to him and whispered something in his ear that made him flush with embarrassment.

"I- er- we better get going! Lots of stuff to do! Right, Mateo? I'll check on you later Lucy!" Kai chattered nervously, only now realizing that Lucy needed peace and quiet after having Mateo point it out to him.

"Aye. Rest up Sweetcheeks." Mateo addressed the blonde before turning and heading out of the cabin. Kai followed at a slower pace and turned to wave at Lucy before making his exit.

"Come along Ed, let the lass rest." Bart put a hand on Ed's shoulder to start steering him out. The bandana wearing pirate was very fond of Lucy and was having a hard time not worrying about her.

"Right cap'n. I'll see ye later Sweetcheeks. Holler if you need me. Or get Gray to it." He snickered and headed to the door while the captain took Lucy's hand and gave it a squeeze, before telling Gray to look after her. Romano was the last to leave and gave Lucy a long look.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard, Lucy." He simply stated before turning to explain what medicine he wanted her to take at different intervals.

His explanation fell on deaf ears as Lucy was busy trying to remember what had happened the past hour. She faintly heard him say that he would be back with some food later and made an agreeing sound. It was only when the door closed and she heard a chair scrape along the floor that she looked up to see Gray sitting next to her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her gently, running a hand over her hair and down her cheek. Lucy found herself sinking into his touch and suspected that he was trying to cool her fever down. His palms radiated cold and she desperately wanted her fever to break.

"Been better." She mumbled and felt her eyelids droop. She had no idea what had been in the medicine Romano gave her, but it tasted foul and she could still feel it burning her throat.

"Do you know why you passed out?" Gray's voice was soft and his hand caressing her cheek made her sleepy. She willed herself to stay awake and answer him, but she was fighting a losing battle and she knew it.

"Why?" Rubbing her eyes, Lucy turned onto her side to better look at her teammate. Gray's expression was completely neutral, but he reached for her hand before saying more.

"Overexertion. You used up too much magic." His words were delivered without any malice, but to Lucy he might as well have laughed in her face. It was embarrassing to have fainted due to using too much magic and Lucy closed her eyes to avoid looking at Gray. She felt him squeeze her hand and sucked in a breath before looking at him again.

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 **I honestly hadn't planned this portion when I developed the plot, but I like the idea of Romano being more than a cook. Also, I am by no means medically trained, but I tried to do my research before writing. I assume (based on personal experience) that you start coughing and gagging if you are forced to drink something while unconscious, but it is also possible that you simply don't react, so please don't take offense to anything I've written. Until next time (=w=)/**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows while I have been away. I'm done with finals for this term and will soon resume more regular updates, although not weekly ones. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I think you'll like how it ends.**

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"What's wrong?" He asked softly, eyes filled with warmth. His posture was relaxed now that it was only the two of them and all his attention was on her. Normally, Lucy would have been embarrassed that they were alone and holding hands, but right now, Gray's hand was the only thing keeping her awake. That and the humiliation after having fainted burning away at her insides.

"I'm so embarrassed! Who faints because of overexertion?!" She huffed and tried to sit up once she let go of his hand. Lying down and swinging was making her dizzy and she wanted to sit up and face Gray. He waited for her to sit up and swing her legs over the edge and unto the floor before he spoke again.

"You." He spoke calmly, making her wince a little. She hadn't meant it in such a harsh way and she knew how much Gray worried about her, she could at least show her gratitude.

"Lucy, I know you feel it is your duty to protect these guys, but don't let it be at the cost of your own health. What good does being bedridden do you? You are in no shape to protect anyone." Gray sighed slowly. He hated acting holier-than-thou, but Lucy needed to be more careful. He wasn't mad at her, but he needed her to understand the risk she was putting herself at by draining her magic.

"I hadn't thought of it like that… I just… I've never completed any hard mission on my own, one of you guys is always with me and I never get to see how strong I am. I know it's stupid and I should take better care of myself, I'm sorry." Lucy was embarrassed and she felt stupid. Gray was right, how could she protect anyone if she was fainting because of low magic reserves?

"You seem to have this idea that you are weak compared to the rest of the team, and I'd like to point out that no weak person would make it on the team. You literally open gates to another dimension and summon spirits from them, how is that weak to you?" Gray's eyebrow rose challengingly. He had actually been meaning to bring this up for a while now, so he grabbed the opportunity to address her inferiority complex at the first chance he got.

"When you put it like that…" Heat flooded to Lucy's cheeks and she looked down at the floor to avoid Gray's piercing gaze, feeling even more stupid than she had though possible.

"Good. Now that we're on it, I absolutely forbid you from using other types of magic than your own." Gray spoke with finality in his voice.

"What?" His statement hadn't quite registered with Lucy and for a second she felt her temper flare, but she pushed it down and waited for him to elaborate.

"You heard me. No more experimenting with other magic than your own." Gray spoke with determination. He could feel something akin to defiance or perhaps anger emanating from the blonde and braced himself for what she would likely argue with.

"Why?" Lucy asked sharply. Why was he deciding what she could and couldn't do? He was her teammate, not her master. If she wanted to use other types of magic, she bloody well would!

"You've been exhausted ever since you started practicing Solid Script and Runes. Your theory makes sense, but it looks like a basic understanding of the underlying concepts isn't enough to use it safely. I honestly think it's an amazing discovery, Lucy, but maybe you shouldn't spend so much energy on other types of magic. The cook-" Gray leaned his elbow on his leg and put his chin in his hand as he spoke.

"Romano." Lucy corrected him automatically, still sounding iffy.

"-thinks you caught a cold and your immune system was weakened, but I think it is due to the experimenting. Maybe you burn through magic faster because it is an alien type of magic and your body reacts differently to it. You weren't able to summon your spirits when you were attacked and when I spoke to Loke, he told me they couldn't sense the danger. That's why I'm asking you to stop using new magic." Gray sighed after his lengthy explanation. He hated seeing the hopeless look on Lucy's face, but he couldn't have her practice other magic if it hurt her.

"But magic in its essence should be pure energy. It shouldn't hurt me if I stayed within holder magic category. Maybe consumption rates are different depending on magic type after all." Lucy mumbled as she thought about Gray's words. Since when had he become the logical one? She didn't notice that he grabbed her hand again before he pulled at it to get her attention.

"You have to promise me to stop using runes and Solid Script while we are on this mission. I just want you to be safe Lucy, and I would feel much better if you relied on your spirits and me." Gray squeezed her hand and did his best to look pleading. It was a cheap strategy to guilt-trip her like that, but if that was what it took, he would gladly do it. Heck, he would even ask the brat Mateo to become her personal bodyguard if it helped protect her.

"Gray…" Lucy sounded torn. The rational part of her agreed that the stakes were too high and that she needed to cut back on magic consumption, while the adventurous part of her found it unfair. It wasn't like she was constantly fainting from exhaustion; this was the first – and hopefully last – time it had happened. In the end, her rationality won and she leaned back down with a sigh.

"I promise." She muttered weakly and felt her eyelids grow heavy. She felt Gray pull up her blanket that had slipped down to her middle and slowly gave in to sleep, but she could have sworn she felt a light, but warm touch on her forehead before she lost the battle to stay awake.

* * *

Hidden in the deep water a lone figure watched the surface ripple above her head, waiting for the currents to change. She wanted to resurface and watch the moon, but she was on a mission and she had to put it before everything else. If the others found out she had been slacking off, they would have her head. Most likely she would become fodder for the Kraken, but if luck was on her side, she wouldn't even have to do much. The silvery moon finally became visible above her and she took a moment to admire its beauty through the veil of water, before she turned around and swam into the closest current that led south. She needed to report what she had discovered.

* * *

The next time Lucy woke up, her head had finally stopped pounding. She didn't know how long she had been asleep for, but her aching limbs told her it had been at least a couple of hours. It had still been light out when she last woke and now the flickering rays of a sunset fell through the porthole in her room, bathing the cabin in a golden glow. Sighing deeply, Lucy stretched her legs as best as she could before sitting upright in the hammock.

"Oh, good. You're up." A voice sounded next to her, startling her. Lucy's head whipped around to see Kai sitting cross legged in the chair Gray had used earlier. The blonde felt a pang of disappointment that the ice mage wasn't there, but she quickly dismissed the feeling and focused on her pirate friend who was peeling an apple.

"How long have I been asleep?" Lucy asked, wincing at her raspy voice. Kai reached for the jug of water that had been left on the desk and filled up a glass that he handed her. He added something that looked like crushed tea leaves and gave it a little stir before letting her drink it.

"Half the day. Gray's been coming in every hour to check on ye." Kai smirked at the flush that crept up Lucy's cheeks, but didn't say anything else. The blonde distracted herself by emptying the contents of her glass and glancing out of the porthole again. The sun was starting to sink toward the horizon and she felt bad that she had spent the day sleeping.

"I feel like I've been sleeping for days." Lucy mumbled and leaned back against the pillows. Shifting a little, she let out a sigh when she finally found the most comfortable position to sit in. Kai was silent as he peeled the rest of the apple and then started handing her slices. Lucy didn't feel like eating yet and opted for nibbling on her first slice.

"I'm glad you are okay." Kai scooted his chair closer and put his feet up on the hammock next to Lucy's leg. She was half-tempted to stretch and accidentally push his feet down, but decided against it when she looked at him and saw him biting his lower lip with downcast eyes. The sight made her quietly finish her apple slice and nudge him with her elbow.

"Sorry for worrying you." Lucy apologized and leaned sideways to put her head on his shoulder. Kai made a whimpering noise, but moved even closer so she would be comfortable and handed her another piece of fruit.

"Just get better soon." Kai mumbled against her hair and moved his head so his cheek rested against Lucy's hair. They were quiet for a while both lost in thought until Kai spoke, the mischievous tone back in his voice.

"Wanna know what I found out about Ed?" He snickered and started recounting the tale about the time Ed had been sick with pneumonia that Romano had told him.

Lucy settled in closer to Kai and listened as he spoke and she finished her apple bits. She quite enjoyed feeling his chest rumbling when he laughed and she also smiled at the way he waved his hands around to make his points and she realized that was probably how he had looked after his little sister when she was still alive.

Kai was not that much younger than Lucy was, but she had never had a sibling, so she couldn't even imagine how it felt. Lucy was convinced that Kai's sister had loved the stories he told and it was evident that he put a lot of effort into telling them. Lucy found herself continuously laughing and asking questions all the time. Kai was great company and his presence actually made her feel a little safer – not that she would ever admit to feeling unsafe on the Empress – it was just nice to have someone to sit with and not having to worry about attacks and thinking up ways to capture mermaids.

"What is Gray doing?" Lucy asked all of a sudden. Kai had said he had come in to check on her a couple of times, but he hadn't appeared ever since she woke up and that had been close to two hours ago.

"He's searching our inventory for something he needs and is helping with the cage." Kai told her with a tone of curiosity in his voice. He had tried asking Gray what he was looking for, but the ice mage hadn't been as talkative as usual. Kai had written it off as him being worried about his teammate, which was entirely reasonable, so he had let it slide.

At this Lucy started gnawing on her lower lip. She had been sure the cage was finished, but it made sense that he would help with the cage if Kai was here. They could be attacked at any point so they needed the cage to be ready, but there was also the possibility that there wouldn't be an attack and that it was just a sea serpent following them around or hunting. The idea of sirens was preposterous and entirely based on speculation, but still Lucy's gut feeling told her that it couldn't possibly be anything else. Her thoughts must have been transparent, because Kai patted her hand and sent her an encouraging smile when she sighed deeply.

"Ye'll catch the fishies." He assured her and Lucy found herself laughing again over his choice of words. He really was something else to describe the mythological creatures as fish. They spent the rest of the evening thinking up ways to cook mermaids and what part of the creatures would come in handy for trading.

* * *

It was another two days before Lucy had recovered fully. She had spent the time resting up and was brimming with energy after drinking liters of Romano's magical tea. The cook had been adamant that she needed to stay in bed and after being an exemplary patient who followed every direction he gave her, Romano let her leave her cabin.

Gray had been Romano's biggest supporter regarding the bed rest and had watched Lucy like a hawk, making sure she took all the medicine the cook gave her and drank every ounce of tea he brewed. The only reason Lucy didn't pout and sulk was because she knew that it wouldn't get her out any faster. Her magic reserves were steadily returning back to normal, but Gray had still prohibited her from summoning any spirits until she was fully recharged.

Meanwhile the two mages had studied every book found in the cabin to search for anything that could help them defend against their pursuers, but the collection of books consisted of every possible genre and they were sorted in no particular order. Ed had told them that they had been shoved onto the shelves as leftover loot. Many of the pirates weren't good readers and had no use for the books, so they had been stored in the cabin. The remaining books were borrowed from Bart's own collection.

"Gray?" Lucy had put down her book after re-reading the same paragraph more than twice. The two of them had been studying curses to try and get some use out of Lucy's remaining holy water, but were making no real progress.

"Hmm?" The ice mage looked up from his own book. He was currently lounging in Lucy's hammock while she sat at the table, claiming that she would merge with the bed if she stayed in it any longer.

"Kai told me you had been searching for something since the previous day. What was it?" She looked at him curiously. When Gray hadn't been working, he had spent every moment with Lucy making sure she was getting rest and seeing to her every need.

"Oh, I was looking for the heirloom for the nobleman. You know, from my original mission." He smirked in her direction to which she let out a small laugh. Gray had been teasing her a lot more and had been extraordinarily affectionate, hugging her a lot more than usual and had taken to staring into her eyes for a long time.

"Did you find it?" Lucy asked, steering their conversation back. Sobering, Gray shook his head in response.

"No, I don't have a picture of it, only some characteristics. For one, it's a type of locket with a stone in it and it's made of gold." He explained and stretched his legs, before jumping to his feet and rolling his shoulders.

"I'm going to go outside for a few minutes Lucy. Will you be okay by yourself?" The ice mage walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. Lucy nodded her response and turned back to scanning the pages when she heard the door click softly behind Gray.

Once she was sure he was gone, she put the book down on the table and laid her head on top of her arms. Lucy's mind was swirling with thoughts and none of them were making any sense. She had caught herself watching Gray from the corner of her eye countless times and her knees went weak every time he smiled at her. Lucy had admitted to herself that her feelings for her teammate were developing fast and into something she had never expected. Or had she?

Lifting her face and staring into the wooden panels of the wall, Lucy let her mind wander. There was no denying the attraction she felt towards the ice mage, but she couldn't figure out when she had started finding him so appealing. All her memories of him were fond and as she thought back, there was no definite moment that she could pinpoint to when her fascination with him evolved. At first he had been mysterious and slightly cold, but he quickly became one of her most trusted friends. When had she started to separate him from the rest of her friends, wanting to spend time with him and get closer? Why could he make her heart beat so fast with only a smile?

A deep sigh escaped Lucy. There was no use trying to figure out when she had started liking him as more than a friend, all that mattered was that she was aware and willing to act on her feelings. How she would go about it, she had no idea, but she wouldn't deny herself the chance of something wonderful. She was also pretty certain that the ice mage's feelings weren't entirely platonic and that sparked hope inside her.

Rising, Lucy decided that she would let things play out by themselves and not keep herself back. Then she promptly returned to the book in front of her intent on making some sort of progress.

* * *

It had been close to half an hour since Gray left and Lucy's back had started aching more than 10 minutes ago. She had finished the chapter that seemed to be of use, but hadn't found anything helpful. The remaining chapters she had skimmed and deemed unhelpful when she finally got up. She had been cooped up for too long and needed some fresh air, so she decided to go outside and find Gray. It had been a while since they played Truth and Lucy could use the distraction. Lucy threw on a jacket and left her cabin, closing the door behind her.

She spotted Gray instantly, leaned over one side of the railing. It was dark out and the lanterns had already been lit, but the space he was occupying was barely illuminated. Lucy walked over without a second thought and came to a halt next to him. His arms were crossed over the railing and he was leaning forward, but looked up when she approached.

"Hey." He sent her one of those smiles that made her insides warm and she leaned on the railing as well.

"Hey yourself," came her smooth reply as she tried to adjust her arms on the chilled wood. Lucy had a suspicion that Gray subconsciously froze his surroundings when he was deep in thought. She had seen the peacock he had created some days ago and had also noticed the floor being icy around where he sat.

"What's on your mind?" Luc asked and peeked at him from the side. He was staring out over the water, looking thoughtful.

"Not much. I just never thought I would enjoy being out at sea," he started and turned sideways to lock eyes with her, "but I guess I was wrong."

"Why?" Lucy lifted one hand and put her chin in it, using the railing as arm rest.

"Having grown up on a snowy mountain I figured the sea was the last place I would ever want to spend my days." He said playfully. Lucy could see mischief twinkling in his eyes and braced herself for what he was going to say next.

"You being here only makes it that much more enjoyable." It wasn't as bad as she had feared, only slightly cheesy and she found herself giggling as she rolled her eyes at him. Lucy adored this side of Gray. She would never have thought that she used cheesy lines – surely he was too cool for them – but the ice mage never hesitated to say something sweet no matter how corny it sounded.

Did he only show this side to her or was it just something she had stumbled across by accident because she was the only one around for Gray to use his lines on? Lucy felt her stomach twist at the thought of Gray flirting with other faceless women and shook her head to rid herself of the mental images. There was no reason for her to feel jealous. She knew Gray very well. He would never just use her to pass time. The interest he had shown in her was genuine and he was honestly a sweetheart.

Lucy observed his profile for the umpteenth time, taking in all the sharp lines of his face. Gray was handsome and funny, not to mention strong and trustworthy. He inspired Lucy to do better and he was always so supportive of her, but not afraid to call her out when she was wrong - it was no wonder she was starting to fall for him, he was just all around wonderful. Lucy imagined how it would be like to fall in love with him and she found it easy. There were so many great qualities to him and Lucy was convinced he would make her happy if they ever got together.

Lucy watched as he stretched his arms above his head and made satisfied sound before leaning back down and briefly met her eyes before turning and staring at the water again. Gray started telling her about something he had seen down in store rooms that held the treasure and loot at the Empress. Lucy only half-listened to what he was saying, her eyes glued to him.

Now that she had thought about being in a relationship with him, she couldn't get the images out of her head. How they would spend their days off at her place making breakfast together and she would walk around in the shirts he somehow discarded. She wanted to make him laugh and listen to his bad jokes. She wanted to be close with him like never before, both physically and emotionally, to feel his heartbeat beneath her fingers and to have his arms around him again. Lucy's eyes dropped to his lips and wondered how it would feel like to kiss him and be kissed in return. Her gaze flickered to his hair and she felt the urge to run her hands through it.

Lucy's thoughts had crossed into an area she had previously deemed off-limits. She had wanted to take things slow and watch how everything unfolded, but standing here under the night sky with him had made her realize how she yearned for his affection. She wanted him so badly and she hadn't even known. Lucy shook her head to clear away the thoughts about telling him what she felt, but they kept sneaking back inside. She pictured his reaction to hearing about her feelings and although she felt a twinge of fear that he didn't feel the same, she just wanted the world to know that she was falling for Gray Fullbuster and there was no turning back.

The blonde tried her best to refocus her attention on the ice mage, trying her best to make agreeing sounds and laughing at the right places in his tale, but she kept getting distracted by his lips. Every time he laughed his teeth flashed in the dim light and Lucy found herself drawn to the sight. He looked so good when he laughed and she found herself waiting eagerly for him to laugh again.

"Lucy? What's going on? You've been staring for a while now." Gray remarked and turned to face her, stepping a little closer in the process. Lucy had been distracted ever since she joined him outside and he hoped it wasn't the illness returning.

"You ever want to kiss somebody, but you just can't?" She asked and looked away from him. Lucy's cheeks burned with embarrassment and she hoped he hadn't heard him. She felt like an idiot for asking, how was Gray even supposed to answer that?

"What's stopping you?" Lucy's head whipped towards him at his response. He was looking at her intently and his expression almost looked… daring? Just like that, Lucy's embarrassment melted away and she felt a surge in her stomach when she stepped closer to him.

She leaned forward and felt a rush of confidence when she felt him move to close the distance between them. He was inches away and Lucy could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but she didn't stop her advancing. He was so close, she could feel his breath on her face. Lucy swallowed nervously and took the last step that brought her close enough to press her lips against Gray's.

She felt Gray's hands on her sides as he pulled her closer and moved her lips against his. One of her hands ended up on his chest and the other rested on his hip, while his were at the small of her back. The pressure of his lips felt amazing and Lucy let out a tiny sound of approval when he pulled her flush against him, gripping on to her for dear life.

The moment she broke the kiss and pulled back, Gray's hand moved to the back of her neck and pulled her back for another kiss that was even more passionate that their first one. Both of Lucy's hands were on Gray's chest now and she was being held in place by his arm wrapped around her back. Gray kissed her with an intensity she had never experienced before and Lucy melted in his arms. When he finally pulled back, his hand had moved around to cup her face and his thumb was stroking her cheek as they both regained their breath.

"I've been waiting for that to happen for a while now." He smirked and nuzzled her head with his nose. Lucy laughed, still a little out of breath and tried to regain control of her frantic mind.

She had just kissed Gray.

* * *

 **The fangirl inside me was squealing as I wrote the kiss. I've been saving this scene for YEARS and now I finally shared it! I hope you found the progression of things natural, but more on that in the next chapter. Hope you are all well (=w=)/**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It has been a while! Have you guys read the FT sequel that came out last week? I am so down for more adventure and I hope the fandom will be revived. This chapter is btw supposed to serve as a buffer between the next and previous one. Enjoy!**

* * *

It felt surreal and so wonderful to finally show Gray what she felt about him and the experience of kissing him would be burned into her memory for a long time. He still had his arms wrapped around her and was grinning widely, his expression contagious. Lucy couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her and hid her face in his shirt to avoid his eyes.

"I can't believe it," he breathed. Lucy felt him pull her closer and his chin came to rest on her head. She felt him take a shuddering breath and loved the exhilarating feeling she got when he moved to kiss the top of her head.

"I know." She replied and breathed deeply. His scent was another one of his attributes that she found incredibly appealing. As foolish as she felt for secretly breathing in his scent, she couldn't deny that she loved how it seemed as though Gray's essence enveloped her.

"I was starting to lose hope that you didn't feel the same way about me as I did about you." Gray pulled back with a chuckle. He loved the way her cheeks were flushed from the cold and once again found her nickname extremely befitting of her.

"I just had to get over the potentially-lose-our-friendship-to-pursue-you part first, the rest was easy." Lucy teased with a twinkle in her eye, which made him smirk approvingly.

"To think that you would actually pursue me," he paused dramatically, "I am the luckiest man alive." He grinned wolfishly and released her from his embrace. She felt her heart flutter again and mentally scolded herself for acting like a teenager. Instead, she decided to keep the ball rolling and casually leaned back over the railing.

"Yes, I am quite the catch." Lucy grinned triumphantly. She sobered when Gray turned his gaze to her and his entire face softened along with his words, "That you are." Damn, she had not seen that coming. His sudden compliance to her statement took her by surprise and she felt her face heat up slightly.

"Shut up." Lucy grumbled in embarrassment and turned back to the waves lapping gently against the sides of the hull. She was just joking, he didn't have to agree with her and make her all flustered. His chuckle that followed made her want to elbow him for having fun at her expanse. With a sigh the blonde realized that she would have to get used to it, there was no way back now.

"What's on your mind?" Gray asked. Again, his tone so gentle it made her heart ache with affection. He always knew when to joke around and when to be serious and she appreciated it greatly. Turning towards him, she thought carefully about how to verbalize her thoughts.

"We're a thing now, right?" Lucy asked slowly, feeling stupid for having to hear it. She knew they were together, all of their actions leading up until now had already confirmed it. Gray nodded as he stepped closer and turned sideways to shield her from the bite of an incoming breeze. The blonde sighed contently.

"I am so happy, you won't even believe it." Lucy shook her head with a small smile and locked eyes with him, hoping he would read her mind and know what she was trying to say.

"But?" He prompted gently. Gray reached out a hand and cupped her cheek to encourage her to continue. He could tell that Lucy was happy, he had caught her discreetly pinching herself twice within the past ten minutes, but something was on her mind.

"I just… I haven't been in a relationship for so long and the other ones barely lasted a month. I don't want to rush headfirst into something with you and mess it up because we were acting on impulse. I want to take it slow and properly treasure our time together. You're one of my best friends Gray, and I don't think I could ever stand losing our friendship. It's too important to me." She paused and leaned into his touch, before looking up and meeting his eyes. When she saw understanding cross his features she exhaled shakily, and when Gray opened his mouth to say something, she held up a hand and continued.

"But at the same time, I know my feelings for you run so much deeper and I don't think I could ever go back to just being friends. I don't want to deny myself a shot at something so wonderful that I know we can have together." She explained quietly. While speaking she had reached for his free hand and was playing with his fingers, caressing them lightly.

Gray could see the tension in her shoulders and knew she had considered this before. It was probably why she had been distracted for a few days now and he felt a twinge of guilt for not realizing it sooner. He understood what she was saying perfectly.

He had also considered the possible consequences of pursuing a future together, but he had realized that it was more important to him that Lucy become a bigger part of his life. She understood him like nobody else, she knew when to push him, when to support him silently and was all in all an incredible person, who Gray didn't want to miss out on. Suddenly, he felt extremely grateful for the captain allowing him to stay on the Empress – otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to spend so much time with Lucy and discover all of the little things that made him adore her. His attraction to her that previously had felt like platonic admiration had gotten free reign over the past few weeks and Lucy was slowly, but surely peeling away all the protective layers around his heart. She knew things about him that he had never admitted to anyone and she didn't ever judge him for any of it. He felt safe with her and he was okay with how he longed for her to discover all of him. Looking at her made him feel at ease, and that he took as a good sign.

"Hey." He said quietly and got her attention. Her warm brown eyes were still showing hints of confusion and doubt, and it took all his strength not to pull Lucy against his chest again. Instead, he opted for lacing their hands together and squeezing them.

"I know what you mean, I've also thought about it. But it's like you're saying Lucy, we're best friends and we click like no others. I would also hate to lose that, but I don't think we ever will. Even if things don't work out between us, which I know won't happen, we're still nakama and we'll always have each other's backs, yeah?" He searched her face to see if she was following him, but he kept getting distracted by the wind tousling her bangs. When she finally nodded, he saw her posture relax and an easy smile graced her lips.

"We'll take things slow, don't worry about it." He assured her and brought their entwined hands up to kiss her fingers. Her smile widened and she blinked at him with her doe-like eyes, and Gray knew he was a goner.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy could be found leaning against the railing with a blinding smile just after the sun had risen. It was a peaceful morning and most of the crew was not awake yet, so she had the deck almost to herself and all the thoughts buzzing around in her brain. After their heart-to-heart last night, they had returned to the cabin they shared and Gray had lingered in the doorway with a thoughtful expression on his face. When she asked him what was on his mind, he had offered to stay in one of the other cabins or below deck to not push her or make things weird between them since they decided to progress slowly.

Lucy had been surprised that he had considered it and had told him that she was fine with sharing the cabin since they had separate beds. Gray had not been convinced at first, but eventually he believed that she wouldn't feel awkward or anything with him around.

That night it was hard for Lucy to fall asleep. She kept replaying their kiss and the conversation that followed and found herself smiling stupidly in the dark. Eventually, she fell asleep, but was awoken by an odd prickling sensation in her body like someone was in the room with her. When she looked over, Gray had been fast asleep so she decided to get up and do some early exercises to clear her mind. That was the reason she had ended up watching the sunrise and wondering how they would break their new relationship to their friends when they returned. Telling Juvia was a separate matter that had to be dealt with very delicately, but there was no easy way to broach it.

A golden light took over Lucy's field of vision and out stepped Loke from his gate with a knowing look on his face. "Ah, young love." The spirit of the lion sighed dramatically and grinned cheekily when Lucy groaned and thumped her forehead against her arms.

"What do you want, Loke?" Lucy mumbled and looked at him sideways. He looked dashing as always complete with his suit, rings and shades.

"Why, aren't I allowed to visit my princess on my days off?" The spirit asked playfully. Lucy couldn't help but feel grateful that he had appeared at that moment. He probably came to check up on her after she rebuilt her magic reserves.

"Sure, you are." Lucy sighed and gazed over the calm waves. Watching the water gently lap against the hull made her drowsy and the rising sun warmed her face. She could have fallen asleep then and there, had it not been for her spirit and his rumbling laughter.

"What's on your mind princess? Your emotions are a mess." The lion spirit stated nonchalantly. Lucy knew that was his way of asking if she was alright and she felt blessed that her spirits were so caring.

"I don't know how I'm going to handle Juvia finding out about me and Gray." Lucy put her chin in her hand. She had considered different approaches, but they all seemed to end with Juvia being heartbroken. Although she felt bad that her friend was going to be hurt, she also didn't want to keep the water mage in the dark and Lucy refused to keep Gray a secret.

"You know, to me it looks like you are worrying for no reason." Loke replied pointedly. At this Lucy raised her brows and straightened up.

"What do you mean?" She asked slowly, the gears in her head turning.

"You're afraid of hurting Juvia's feelings, I get it, but don't you think it's silly when she never considers other people's feelings when it comes to Gray? Or his own for that matter." Loke ran a hand through his hair and watched Lucy carefully. He had nothing against the water mage, but Lucy was fretting for her sake and he was not going to let Lucy guilt herself into keeping quiet or avoiding Juvia.

"Did Gray tell you what happened between them?" Lucy asked curiously. Loke and Gray had always been close and the ice mage might have confided in him during the time they hung out on the Empress. While she was curious as to Loke knowing, Lucy just wanted to make sure she didn't overstep and reveal something Gray had told her privately.

"He did, but that's not why I am telling you not to overthink it. I honestly think it would be better to straight up tell everyone. Sure, Juvia will suffer a broken heart for a while, but she'll get over him eventually. Actually, it feels like she isn't in love with Gray, but what he symbolizes for her," Loke paused, "anyways you should talk to Gray about it if really bothers you that much."

"Yeah. Thanks Loke." Lucy smiled ruefully, promising to think about it. Loke bowed deeply before dispelling in a flash of light. Lucy was left alone with her thoughts again for the next twenty minutes.

She was spacing out and didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind her. When she felt someone grip her arms from behind, she jumped a foot into the air and nearly screamed. She also nearly stomped hard down on someone's toes on impulse, but stopped herself when she heard Kai laugh. He let go of her arms and stood next to her.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Lucy punched him on his arm and felt some satisfaction when he winced and rubbed the spot with his other hand. Her aim had gotten better and she was also stronger than before, so it was bound to sting.

"Ouch, woman! That bloody hurt!" He complained, but followed with an apology anyway. After apologizing, the youngest pirate casually leaned on the wooden railing next to her.

"Soo, you and Gray?" Kai waggled his eyebrows with a teasing smirk on his face. Lucy was actually not surprised by his question nor was she embarrassed to admit that it was true. She and Gray had been outside for quite some time the previous night, so it was entirely possible that someone had seen or heard them talking. She was fine with having been overheard – it wasn't like she was going to keep it a secret. She only hoped that no one had witnessed the kiss – that was something she wanted to keep for herself and Gray.

"It just sort of happened." Suddenly feeling shy, she turned to overlook the sea and noticed that the sky wasn't as bright as normal, but it was still early in the morning and weather could change in the blink of an eye. Footsteps and mutters could be heard throughout the deck, so the blonde guessed her alone time was up. She could almost feel the pirate smirking beside her and mentally counted to five to calm down.

"Aye, it's not like ye've been making eyes at each other the whole time." Kai rolled his eye and ducked out of the way right before Lucy smacked him again. So much for calming down.

"We haven't been _making eyes_ at each other." Lucy denied with a huff and turned away when she heard him snort. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, hoping to get a hit in, but he wisely kept his distance.

"I'm happy for you. Gray's a great lad, he'll be good to ye." Kai sobered, but still wore a playful grin. The wind rustled in his hair, making him look a bit younger, but his words were those of someone much older.

"You sound like an old man." Lucy laughed and pictured him with wrinkles and a bad back. He would probably be like Dagger and trick people into pitying him before attacking viciously.

"If not, the scallywag will become shark bait." Although his tone was light, Lucy didn't miss the insult or thinly veiled threat towards Gray and felt warm knowing that Kai was protective of her. Loke would likely say something even worse, so she let out a small laugh. It was kind of funny hearing him threaten her teammate on her behalf.

"I don't think you have to worry about him breaking my heart. Erza would skin him alive and Natsu would roast him over a spitfire if he ever did something to upset me." Lucy explained and was amused by the admiring expression on his face.

"Good'ta know."

"Anyway, we're taking things slow." Lucy told him. As much as it wasn't his business, she didn't want Kai to worry about her like he was prone to doing.

"A'ight, I hear ye," Kai looked over her shoulder and suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper, "hey, don't look, but I think Gray is watching us and he doesn't look happy." Lucy couldn't help but turn and look, but didn't see anyone. Annoyed, she whirled around but Kai had already retreated to a safe distance and cackled loudly as he made his escape.

In the blink of an eye, Lucy's whip whizzed through the air and caught his ankles, making him fall face first and thump heavily to the floor. A pained groan left Kai, but instead of feeling bad for him, Lucy felt smug. The nipper started dragging himself across the floorboards, moaning pathetically when Lucy heard a chuckle behind her. She didn't need to look over her shoulder – she could feel Gray's presence way before she could see him. It was like she had become hyperaware of him in the past few days and could sense him whenever he was near.

"Do I even want to know what he did?" Gray's footsteps came closer and Lucy felt her side warm where he stood next to her. She had it bad for this guy.

"Nope." Lucy replied, popping the 'p'. Gray shook his head, amused by Kai's dramatic antics. The pirate had probably deserved it, and the ice mage wasn't about to get on Lucy's bad side by prodding too much.

"Let's go get breakfast." Gray suggested and started walking towards the galley. Lucy hummed in agreement and her light footsteps followed right behind him. A breeze made her scent waft around him and the ice mage discreetly took a deep breath, while he made sure to avoid looking at the blonde.

"Loke woke me up after you left." He told her lightly and laughed when he heard her groan.

"Please tell me he didn't do or say something stupid." Lucy pleaded and reached his side again. She was going to murder Loke. She had been grateful that he had appeared when she was troubled, but he apparently had a hidden agenda. She could already imagine her hands closing around his throat and flexed her fingers in anticipation.

"Nah, just the usual." Gray replied casually. He wasn't going to reveal that he was woken by Loke's glowing fist right in front of his fist and a promise of an extremely painful death. He knew the spirit meant well. Kind of. Lucy only frowned in response – she knew her spirits better than that.

"Don't worry about it." Gray sneaked an arm around Lucy's waist and planted a kiss on her forehead when she squealed from surprise.

* * *

The following days passed slowly and without incident, and the two mages spent their time training, fishing and talking. Of course they did their job by guarding, but more often than not the two mages could be found together. Gray would keep an arm around her waist or sit with their legs pressed together and Lucy would lean against his side and sneak in a kiss when she thought no one was looking. Their evenings were spent pouring over books and trying to find evidence that sirens had existed, but so far they had only found mentions of them in ancient cultures and in folklore. Captain Bart had allowed Lucy access to all his books and even then they came up empty. The more days that passed without any attack meant that they were safer, but there was no telling when the enemy would strike and it drove Lucy nuts.

By the fifth day she had started growing increasingly anxious. There was something in the air that kept her on edge all day and she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was. Gray was also feeling it and was even quieter than usual. They had been outside for a while, watching as the sky slowly darkened and clouds started forming. The Empress was rocking a lot harsher than what the two mages had gotten used to and they felt unsteady on their feet.

"Something is wrong." The ice mage mumbled and reached for Lucy's hand. She nodded and squeezed his hand, which felt surprisingly warm against hers. The wind had picked up during the day and it wasn't as sweltering hot as it had been previously. Gray was even fully clothed.

"Nay me bucko, the waters here get rough. Ain't nothing t'be worried about." Ed assured them as he passed them with an armful of rope to tie down the sails. As soon as he was a few feet away, Gray and Lucy exchanged looks and weren't comforted by his words.

Romano chose that time to appear and came to a stop next to them. "The currents here a stronger than what we've travelled through already. Ye'll be in for a wild ride." He grinned, before hurrying back to whatever he was doing. The rest of the crew seemed equally unfazed by the rough waves thumping against the side of the Empress, and were steadily preparing for even worse weather.

"They seem pretty used to it." Gray remarked quietly after Kai dropped by and reassured them as well. The waves around them were increasing in size and it was making him uneasy. This was why he didn't like deep, open waters. There was so much that could go wrong if the currents became too strong, and he felt powerless surrounded by masses and masses of water.

"I don't even think Aquarius would be able to do anything about the waves." Lucy replied absentmindedly. She discreetly reached for her keys and the hum of magic beneath her fingertips made her feel a little better.

Still, she was haunted by the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, so Lucy fished out Plue's key and summoned him, hoping he would calm her nerves. He did, for a while, but the poor spirit was shaking so badly Lucy had to send him back after a couple of minutes. Gray noticed this and put his arm around her, offering support in Plue's stead. Lucy indulged herself for a moment and leaned her head on his shoulder, but soon pulled away from the embrace. She appreciated the gesture and drew strength from it instead of letting herself be spoiled. She simply prayed for the strength to overcome the ordeals coming her way.

An hour later it started storming.

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 **Ah yes, a storm at sea, such wonderful timing. Hope the chapter didn't disappoint, I actually split it into two since it got too long, so all the action comes next week. Hope you are all doing well (=w=)/**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I am so excited for you to reach this chapter! There is going to be a lot of action this week, but I am not very experienced in writing action. I did my best to visualize everything before writing and hopefully it is somewhat realistic. Anywho, the chapter got way longer than I expected, so I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

"Batten down the hatches!" Someone was yelling over the howling wind. The waves were crashing against the hull now, threatening to tip the Empress over and the crew was scrambled all over the main deck. Lucy and Gray were helping out wherever they could and otherwise did their best to stay out of the others' way. Rain was pelting down, causing the floorboards to be slippery and thunder crashed in the distance. Lucy's hair was plastered to her face and her clothes were already soaked. Gray's shirt had already been discarded and she wondered briefly if he was aware that it was pouring down.

"Out'ta the way!" Ed came running at full speed and climbed the mast like an oversized squirrel. The sight would have been hilarious had it not been for the raging storm above them. There was no time to stand still with pirates running all over the place, and Lucy bit her bottom lip in frustration. There had to be something she could do to help.

The rain kept getting in her eyes no matter how often she blinked it away and it was getting hard to see anything more than a few meters ahead of her. Gray likewise kept squinting while he picked up cables of rope and handed them to the pirates that were tying the sails down.

Lucy made her way to the captain's cabin to check in on him, and despite his protests, she asked him to stay inside. While Bart was every bit the experienced sailor and the captain of the crew, he was also Lucy's main client and she had to make sure he was kept out of harm's way. Those were her reasons for having him remain inside with one of the men to guard him just in case.

She had just stepped back out into the pouring rain and shouts of the crew, when her entire body froze and she heard a long, drawn out wail from the sea that made her blood run cold. Dagger's words from weeks ago echoed through her mind. _'Have you heard the weeping of the waters?'_ The unnatural wails sounded again, but this time it was harder to hear over the ruckus all around her and she hoped it was her imagination, but the third wail made a chill run down her spine.

If what Lucy suspected was true, they were in deep trouble. She briefly considered summoning Loke to guard Bart instead of Squinty, but figured that as long as Bart remained inside he would be fine. Besides, if it came to a battle like she feared, she would much rather have Loke on the frontlines together with her. The celestial mage had been hurrying back to where she had last seen Gray and had only called out his name, when she heard her own being shouted in alarm.

"Watch out!" Mateo yelled when a barrel came rolling down the deck in the direction of the blonde. Lucy jumped sideways at his shout and crashed into Gray, who immediately steadied her having spotted her coming closer.

"Be careful." Gray muttered, his eyes flitting back and forth across the deck. It was chaotic. People were shouting, cursing and running with no time to spare. A particularly nasty wave crashed into the Empress and sent the two mages flying.

"Open, gate of the ram! Aries!" Lucy shouted mid-air and was relieved when she landed in a cloud of pink cotton. Looking over, she saw Gray in his own cotton cloud swiftly getting to his feet. "Thank you, Aries." The spirit of the ram apologized for being late and dispelled after making sure her master was unharmed. Gray, on the other hand, hadn't been as lucky.

"Are you okay?" Lucy jumped up and raced to his side when she heard him groan. He was clutching his left shoulder and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"I'm fine… Landed on my shoulder." He explained through gritted teeth. He looked far from fine, but there wasn't much she could do about his pain, was there? Lucy considered her options.

None of her spirits knew healing magic and she didn't have any medical training herself. It was near impossible to find Romano in the midst of a storm, and Gray was in too much pain to let his injury go untreated. The cook wouldn't be able to do much about the pain unless he miraculously possessed one of his pain relieving mixtures and Lucy doubted that he carried them around hooked to his belt. Summoning Gemini to copy Wendy's healing magic wasn't going to work either, since the spirits hadn't been in contact with the youngest Dragon Slayer. That left her with only one choice.

"Hold still." Lucy instructed him and tried to ignore the roar of thunder above and the frantic yelling of the pirates. She zeroed in on Gray's shoulder and carefully brought her fingers up to where his hand had previously been. The rain was getting on her nerves, but she did her best to focus on her task.

"What are you, gah, doing?" The ice mage asked and gripped onto the railing as hard as he could. The ship was swaying too much and every time he was jostled around, pain shot up through his shoulder. He must have landed on top of something for it to hurt so damn much, or maybe it had been dislocated.

"Quiet." Lucy shushed him and closed her eyes while her fingers searched for a quill in her small belt pouch. She was lucky she still had it there and carefully touched the tip to Gray's shoulder. He hissed in pain at first, but grit his teeth as the quill moved over his skin.

"Lucy, don't. You promised." The ice mage groaned in pain while Lucy wrote what she remembered to be a healing rune.

"There's no other way. We can't leave your shoulder like this when we are under attack." Lucy put the quill back in her pouch and prayed she had written it correctly, before touching her hand to Gray's shoulder. When he didn't flinch or cry out in pain and instead looked relieved, she considered her attempt a success.

"Under attack? Have you seen something?" He asked and experimentally rolled his shoulders. Satisfied, he thanked her and turned to look over the side of the railing.

"I heard something and also these waves aren't natural. It's like their timing is very controlled and they are targeting one side of the hull when we are closer to tipping over, so I think it might be the sirens." Lucy explained and pointed to an incoming wave that looked very narrow. She was right. The wave was much smaller and forced its way from a different direction than the surrounding ones.

"For Christ' sake!" Gray swore loudly when another barrel rolled by and nearly hit his shin. A mermaid attack was the last thing they needed during a storm. Unless the storm was a result of their presence. The ship rocked violently again and the ice mage had to grab the railing to avoid being tossed around. Lucy also steadied herself and slowly pulled herself to her feet.

"Do you think they caused the storm?" The ice mage asked before ducking as an unfastened sail came loose and nearly fell on top of him. When he straightened again, his teammate was frozen and her eyes locked on to something he couldn't yet see.

"Oh no, no, no, no." Lucy paled. Whether she thought so or not, she had no time to say for in that instance she saw a figure emerge engulfed in a body of water on the opposite side of the deck, and a chill ran down her spine. When the creature's gaze landed on Lucy, the blonde snapped out of her trance and sprang into action again.

"Get down!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and shoved Gray out of the way when the creature sent a jet of scalding water in their direction. Luckily, Lucy had jumped in the opposite direction and wasn't hit by the attack, but she still crashed to the floor and scrambled backwards. Meanwhile, the ice mage had gotten to his feet and was surveying the area for the attacker, when his eyes fell on what Lucy had seen.

"What the actual fuck?" Gray was staring at the creature looming over the side of the Empress. Its face was drawn back in a snarl, but the features were distinctly feminine – save for the row of jagged teeth in its mouth.

Her hair was jet black and flowed freely in the cocoon of water surrounding her. Her upper body was humanoid, but there were scaly patches all over her skin and her hands were webbed and ended in long, pointy nails. Her lower body consisted of a tail that looked powerful enough to crush a grown man with one swipe and several fins ran down the length of the scaly tail.

' _Siren.'_ That was the only name Gray's brain could link to what he was seeing.

Some of the crew had witnessed the attack and the pirates were either screaming in terror, outrage or from pain after being hit. The siren's eyes were icy blue and swept over the screaming pirates. She raised her arm and swung it, making the water behind her rise and wash over the deck, knocking pirates over with ease. Lucy had already summoned Virgo and was watching the siren closely. Gray swiftly dived sideways and rolled to his knees before jumping to his feet and landing near Lucy, who still stood in the same spot and waited for something.

"What do we do?" Gray asked urgently. His first instinct had been to attack, but there was something off about Lucy and he didn't want to rush ahead without her backup. The pirates were only good at close range combat, so it was up to the two of them to protect the crew.

"Try attacking from a distance. I don't think we should get closer than this." Lucy stated what Gray had already considered, but she had her analyzing face on so she was probably working out some sort of plan. Meanwhile, Gray would keep the siren distracted and buy the blonde as much time as possible. He nodded and ran in the opposite direction before bringing his hands together for his attack.

"Ice Make: Lance!" The lance shot out of his hands and pierced the air, flying straight toward the siren. She swiveled around to avoid it, but didn't expect a second lance to follow it and snarled when it whizzed past and grazed her arm. Gray only had a second to feel smug, since the siren launched a counter attack and sent bullets of boiling water towards him. The ice mage managed to get a shield up moments before the bullets bombarded his ice barrier. Luckily, Gray had thought to make a bigger shield than normal so he had managed to cover himself and whatever pirates had been standing behind him. The bullets barely dented the shield, but the siren shot through the air with claws outstretched, ready to slash through the ice and forced Gray to leap sideways for cover. The siren shattered the shield, but hissed in annoyance and retreated to a safer distance, the water still swirling around her entire body and bending to her will.

"Open, gate of the archer! Sagittarius!" Lucy commanded after asking Virgo to protect the crew. The spirit of the archer appeared with his characteristic greeting and almost lost his footing on the slippery floor. Once he regained his balance, he immediately placed three arrows in position on his bow, the string pulled taut and aimed at the immediate threat.

"Sagittarius, I need you to cover Gray!" Lucy shouted her instructions and ran to the other side of the deck. She needed to be out of the line of fire to think properly. Ed and Kai shouted after her, but their voices were drowned out under the roar of the battle. Still, she shouted at them to take cover and hoped they heard her. Lucy's sole objective was to put some distance between herself and the battle and quickly figure out what to do, so she sprinted with all her might while taking care not to slip and fall.

They had to capture the siren and get her into the cage, but she had no idea how. There was no telling how strong the enemy was or if they would be able to capture, let alone overpower her. Gray was holding out for now and the pirates were staying back, but they needed a plan and they needed it now.

' _Think Lucy, think. How will you capture the siren?'_ Lucy's brain went into overdrive and she looked at the battle in front of her once more. She needed the cage, a way to grab the siren and seal her, but first they needed to immobilize her. As long as the siren was covered in a body of water, she had a lot of freedom and they had to restrict that first. She was fast, but her attacks didn't seem overly powerful and her aim wasn't very accurate either.

Maybe there was a reason she kept herself covered by water. Either it served as protection, or she wasn't able to get on board the Empress and had to rely on the mobility the water cloak gave her. There was also a chance that she had appeared in front of them because it was impossible to attack from underwater when she couldn't see them. Perhaps rain was obscuring her vision, which might have been why she hadn't taken control of the pirates with her siren song.

Either way, Lucy had to take the risk of the song into account before finalizing her plan. The blonde had roughly figured out how they were going to capture her, but it would require switching between many spirits at a fast pace. Lucy worried for a second about her magic reserves, but if they could pull it off fast enough, she would avoid excessive magic consumption. Besides, she already had two active spirits and she was managing fine. Lucy saw the siren trying to dodge Gray's and Sagittarius' attacks, but they managed to get some hits in. The shriek that left the siren was inhumane and made Lucy's ears ring, but she quickly shook it off.

"Alright." She muttered to herself and took a deep breath. She needed to tell Gray the plan pronto, since he was a key player in her swiftly developed strategy.

Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw to her relief that most of the pirates had taken shelter and nearly cleared the deck. If her hypothesis about sirens having to see their targets was correct, the risk of the pirates becoming mindless zombies decreased significantly. If not, they would have to deal with that as well.

"Virgo!" Lucy called and ran back to the middle of the deck. The maiden spirit appeared a second later, hair sticking to her face.

"Yes, Princess?" The spirit seemed unaffected by the bad weather, but Lucy knew the rain was slowing Virgo down. There was no time to wait for the storm to pass – they had to take advantage of the cover provided by the rain.

"The cage we built is right below us, I need you to get it up here now! Try to avoid making too much noise otherwise she'll discover what we're doing! Then help Sagittarius so I can get to Gray!" She shouted over the howling wind and crashing waves. The added chaos from the battle made it near impossible for her to be heard, but luckily Virgo with her enhanced hearing caught every word.

"Understood." She bowed and spun around on the spot, already digging straight through the floor to retrieve the cage. Lucy rushed to where her teammate was still fighting. Even though he was panting, his movements were still sharp and she felt hope rise in her chest. Maybe they would be able to pull it off!

"Gray!" Lucy yelled and took cover behind the remnants of his shield. Virgo had brought the cage up without any trouble and placed herself so there was the same distance to her as there was to Sagittarius, but on the opposite side and sent her chains flying. Her attack caught the siren off guard and she was momentarily distracted, which allowed Gray to slip off and meet up with Lucy. She thanked the heavens that the deck was huge.

"Why haven't you summoned Aquarius?!" He asked – shouted – when he reached her side and touched his palm to his broken shield to reinforce it. That way he could have a moment's rest while Lucy told him what she had come up with. He trusted that she had a plan since she had joined the fray and was hoping it would knock the siren out. The mermaid's stamina was running out, but her attacks were getting increasingly aggressive and they needed to deal with her right away.

"I will in a second! I have a hunch the siren can't move away from the water, so I'll have Aquarius do something about the water around her and then Virgo can catch her with her chains! If we can get her into the cage, you can use your ice make prison to seal her away until we figure out what to do about her!" Lucy shouted back and pointed to the cage that stood wide open in the middle of the deck. She had a feeling she would lose her voice that day, but as long as it meant they were capturing the siren, she couldn't care less.

"What?! Lucy that's insane! You already have two gates open, you can't summon Aquarius as well!" Gray argued. Lucy shook her head and quickly explained that she was sending Sagittarius back first, which was why she needed him to keep attacking and pushing the siren towards Virgo. He could see the determination on Lucy's face and knew she had thought her plan through and he couldn't come up with anything better on his own.

"Fine, but don't do anything stupid." Gray warned her and ran back to where the archer was after Lucy promised not to. His mouth was pressed into a thin line, meaning he wasn't entirely convinced.

"I won't." She assured him and left the safety of the ice shield. The spirits had done a good job at keeping the siren distracted, and she hadn't been able to attack properly, which Lucy hoped was because of the rain clouding her vision. Lucy quickly sent the archer back and wasted no time summoning her strongest spirit.

"Open, gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!" The spirit appeared from her gate with her trademark scowl directed at Lucy. She was just about to say something scathing to the blonde mage when she saw what they were up against and her eyes widened a fraction.

"Oi, brat! What did you get yourself into this time?" Aquarius snapped, her urn ready for attack without Lucy having to tell her.

"Aquarius, I'm counting on you! We need to get rid of the water around her body and get her into the cage." Lucy explained and quickly revealed her plan, hoping the mermaid spirit would cooperate without too much fuss.

"Tch. Always relying on others to get the job done." Aquarius rolled her eyes, but moved in to attack anyway. Virgo signaled that she was ready and Gray unleashed another volley of ice spears before taking cover and letting the two spirits take over. He sprinted down the deck towards Lucy, taking care not to fall on the slippery floor and had almost made it to her side when another jet of water shot onto the deck.

Once Aquarius started her attack, the siren seemed to turn even more vicious and dived straight for the celestial spirit, who in turn left the deck and had pillars of water shoot up underneath the siren, momentarily making her recoil. Meanwhile Gray had positioned himself behind the cage and signaled to Lucy that he was ready.

"Aquarius, now!" Lucy watched as her oldest spirit swung her urn and water poured out at an incredibly pace. There was a shimmery quality to the water that didn't diminish when the water bearer manipulated it to slam into the siren and overtake the water barrier she had covered herself with. Aquarius cried out from effort and pulled with all her might, making the water around the siren vanish in a sparkly cascade. Virgo, who had been waiting, unleashed her chains that cut straight through the air and wrapped around the siren's torso in her moment of vulnerability.

"Yes! Pull her in!" The blonde mage ordered and prepared to run over and slam the cage shut the second their target had been deposited inside. Lucy hoped with every fiber of her being that the cage would hold. From what she had observed the siren was aggressive, but not particularly strong, which had been a key factor in her plan. She just hoped luck was on their side and that they would be successful.

Virgo had just started to reel her in when the siren trashed violently and shrieked at the top of her lungs. The sound sent waves of pain through Lucy's brain and for some reason it also affected Aquarius, who dropped her urn and covered her ears. Gray let out a pained sound before dropping to his knees, and Virgo's grip loosened a fraction, but it was enough for the siren to break free of the chains and dive straight down into the water.

"No!" Lucy struggled to move but somehow managed to take a few wobbly steps forward. The pain lessened and the blonde managed to stay upright, but she still felt nauseous.

Aquarius' pain was unbearable and Lucy forced the gate closed instantly. It had probably been the proximity that had affected Aquarius the most, but with the water bearer out of commission, Lucy took no chances and quickly ran her mind through her contracts. They couldn't let the siren escape – they had to capture her right away. Lucy was seconds away from summoning Loke when she heard the one thing she had been dreading for days now. The siren's song.

It was the most beautiful and alluring sound she had ever heard. Lucy felt the edges of her consciousness fade like a blanket was slowly being wrapped around her. She didn't feel cold any longer and simply listened to the magical song, hoping she could hear it forever. It was like she was floating on a cloud. The enchanting voice beckoned her closer and Lucy saw no reason to deny its wish and took a single step forward. The blonde felt a burst of magic at her hip and her fingers went to her keys on instinct.

The moment her skin touched the surface of the keys, the cloudiness in her mind disappeared and Lucy regained control of her limbs with a gasp. The magic she had felt had been Virgo dispelling to wake Lucy up and the absence of her spirit made her feel vulnerable. Lucy put her arms around herself in an attempt to stop shivering from the cold.

Looking around her, she saw Gray still on the floor and raced to his side, kneeling down next to him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she noticed that the rain had slowed to a stop, but the deck was still wet and her clothes still soaked.

"Gray! You have to fight her!" Lucy shook his shoulder urgently when she saw his vacant expression. His eyes slowly moved to focus on her, but his expression remained the same and Lucy felt a terrible bout of fear grip her heart. There was no time, she needed Gray to break the trance, but she also knew how hard it was to resist the pull of the song.

"Snap out of it!" The blonde shouted desperately. There was no way she was letting Gray be controlled, she wouldn't be able to handle it if he was turned against her. Lucy she needed him to come back to his senses, she simply refused to fight him.

"Gray, please! Don't do this to me…" She pleaded. Her grip on his shoulders tightened and tears welled up in her eyes when he stayed unresponsive. Lucy had hoped that his magic would have been able to block the song since it had worked for her, but maybe it wasn't enough. If they came out of this in one piece, she vowed to solve the mystery behind the song's power.

"…L..ucy?" His voice was strained, but she could see him fighting against something from the twitch of his mouth. His brows furrowed and he frowned, looking unsure of what he had heard. A lump had formed in her throat, but she swallowed thickly and forced her voice out. She would not lose Gray.

"Open your eyes." Lucy spoke gently and brought her hands up to cup his face, tears still running down her cheeks and dripping from her chin. Lucy pressed a kiss to his lips and hoped additional external stimuli would break the siren's hold over him. Gripping his shoulders hadn't been enough, but he had reacted to her voice eventually. Maybe her proximity was helping him fight against the siren? Lucy held her breath and waited impatiently. His eyes finally found her face and his eyes slowly cleared with recognition.

"Lucy…" Gray struggled to get up, so she reached under his arm and pulled him up with some effort. "What happened?" His head was throbbing all of a sudden and he couldn't remember what was going on. He continued to lean on Lucy, grateful that she was there to support him.

"She used her song on us. I think my spirits broke the trance for me." Lucy spoke quietly. The siren was now underwater and completely in her element, which gave her a huge advantage. They were sitting ducks if she chose to attack them.

"I don't think we are the only ones she used the song on." Gray pointed to the opening of the lower deck where Kai and Mateo were slowly making their way up, swaying ever so slightly. Some other pirates had already made their way outside and had their swords drawn, ready to attack.

In the blink of an eye, the pirates charged toward the two mages and surrounded them from all directions. Lucy and Gray were forced to ignore their fatigue and stand back-to-back in the face of their numbers. Kai was standing in Lucy's line of sight and she tried desperately to call out to him, hoping that maybe she would be able to help him break the trance like Gray, but her cries had no effect whatsoever. The nipper still approached her with his sword drawn.

Initially all the pirates had moved at once, but now they switched tactics and attacked at different paces, forcing the mages to stay on the defensive. Lucy gritted her teeth as her whip caught one of the pirates and she pulled as hard as she could. She managed to throw him off balance, making him fall down and getting in the way of another pirate. While the two of them were struggling to get up from the floor, a third pirate jumped in and lunged for her. There was just no end to them and exhaustion was catching up to her.

"Gray you have to freeze them!" Lucy leaped out of the way when a cutlass nearly slashed her to pieces. There was no life in the pirate's eyes, not even when she aimed a kick at his ankles and sent him toppling to the floor. His cutlass clattered away noisily and she had half a mind to grab it, but she wasn't experienced with swords and it would only get in the way of her fighting style.

"On it!" He replied and started sending bursts of ice towards the pirates, effectively pinning them to the floor or railing.

Lucy switched places with him once he had cleared a path and left him to trap the remaining zombies. Picking up a discarded sword from the floor, she darted towards Bart's office and used it to jam the hand wheel. So far, Bart had kept his promise and remained inside, but if he was affected by the siren she had to stop him from coming out at all costs.

A loud crash sounded from starboard and the hull creaked threateningly. Lucy whipped around and expected the siren to have reappeared, but when she saw no figure looming over the railing, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart was hammering in her chest and sweat was getting in her eyes, but there was no time for discomfort. Gray had already sprinted to the edge of the deck where the crash had resounded and his eyes widened at the sight beneath him.

"Ah fuck, Lucy, she's trying to sink the ship!" He cried and slammed his palms onto the railing, freezing a path straight down to where the siren was throwing her body against the hull. The siren didn't look up in time and was unable to avoid Gray's attack. Still, she was fast and had almost managed to get out of harm's way, but her hands had been touching the hull and were encased in ice. She hissed in pain when the cold seeped through her hands and trashed against the hull, hoping to break up the ice with her tail.

"Lucy, quick! Get Virgo! Her hands are frozen right now!" Gray kept his hands on the railing and kept freezing the side of the Empress. If he could just freeze her body without turning her into a block of ice, it would be easier for Virgo to grab her and throw her into the cage, but he also had to be ready to launch his ice make prison at a moment's notice.

"Hurry up!" Gray grumbled impatiently while keeping his eyes on the siren. She wasn't trashing around any longer, but kept suspiciously still. Lucy didn't make a sound, which further aggravated Gray until he realized that she might be in danger.

"Lucy!" Gray turned to see if she was hurt, but saw her standing with her back to him. Her hands were raised and she was speaking calmly, but he couldn't see who was standing in front of her. That was until someone climbed onto the railing and stood upright. Dagger.

Lucy was trying to reach Dagger by inching forwards slowly, all the while speaking to him in the hopes that he would recognize her. Gray didn't remember seeing the old pirate appear with the rest of the crew and assumed he had been trailing behind, and thus avoided being frozen like the rest. Now he stood swaying on the railing, which thankfully was wide enough for his feet, but with the Empress still rocking harshly he seemed to teeter towards the edge with every passing second.

"Dagger, listen to me. You have to get her out of your head, _now_." Lucy urged him as calmly as she could. She was afraid of making any sudden movements and aggravating the siren for fear of Dagger being hurt. His limbs were shaking with exhaustion and Lucy hoped he wasn't feeling it, otherwise he was going to cramp up the second he regained control and she had to reach him before then.

She was angry with herself for not seeing him sneak up on her earlier. He had attempted to snatch her keys from her belt when Gray had called for her, but his old age came with impaired mobility and he had ended up only grazing her keys. Lucy was startled of course and shoved him away from her by reflex, but watched in horror as he got to his feet and started walking backwards toward the railing.

"Come on Dagger, get down from there. Don't you want to lie in your hammock instead?" Lucy coaxed him, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Dagger raised his eyes and grinned widely, showing off the few teeth he had left, but the smile looked terrifying with his glassy eyes. Then the unthinkable happened.

Dagger stepped backwards and fell through the air.

Lucy reacted on instinct and sprinted with all her might to the railing. The only thought in her mind was reaching Dagger before he went underwater, so she could catch him and swim them both to safety. Lucy reached the railing and vaulted over it diving straight after Dagger. She saw him break through the surface and distantly heard Gray screaming her name, but seconds later she was submerged in the icy water.

It was darker than she had imagined and she strained her eyes to look for Dagger. It was a miracle that she was even able to see anything, but then she noticed an eerie greenish glow that illuminated the water and filed away the information for later inspection. She saw something floating in the periphery of her vision and swam in that direction where she spotted his sinking body. Bubbles were leaving his mouth and his limbs were spread apart with no intention of trying to swim. Lucy forced her body to swim faster and stretched out her hands to grab him.

What happened next was over in a matter of seconds. Lucy was reaching for Dagger and almost missed the shadow that hurtled towards her. Dagger suddenly opened his eyes and moved faster than the blonde had thought possible and grabbed her arm. He pulled at her with an unthinkable strength and managed to reverse their positions so he was above her. Lucy could barely see anything and felt her lungs burn for air. The shadow slammed into Dagger and the old pirate was thrown farther away from her, disappearing completely out of sight.

The shadow twisted and Lucy saw a glint of scales and a row of jagged teeth before she came to her senses and grabbed her keys. She opened two gates simultaneously and nearly blacked out from exhaustion, but saw golden light illuminate the water around her. Leo appeared with glowing fists and an enraged expression, attacking the creature that had been mere meters away from Lucy. The siren had been so close to Lucy that her clawed fingers could have slashed her face.

Loke wasted no time and blasted the siren with his Regulus Impact, taking her by surprise and sending her backwards where Virgo was waiting. The maiden spirit caught the siren around her middle and slung the chains hanging from her wrists around her body, immobilizing her completely. Virgo spun around with incredible speed and launched herself in an upwards trajectory, creating a vortex around her before disappearing. Lucy felt her limbs grow heavy and her vision darken, but she saw Loke shoot through the water to reach her and she felt the rush of water in her ears as he grabbed hold of her and they moved.

Lucy could no longer hold her breath and her lungs nearly gave in. She startled from the impact of Loke swimming into her and the wind was knocked out of her. She could taste the salty water and she sputtered and coughed as she swallowed mouthfuls of it, but a second later her head was above water and she could breathe again. She greedily gulped down as much air as possible and barely noticed that Loke had managed to get her onto the ship again and heard frantic yelling all around her.

Lucy had ended on the floor and lifted herself to see Loke kick the carefully crafted cage shut and Virgo dispelling herself from inside it, before Gray was on top of the cage already casting his magic.

"Ice Make: Prison!" He shouted and flipped in the air as his ice prison materialized. He landed on the floor, jumped to his feet and stood poised to attack in case the prison and cage didn't hold.

The siren shrieked angrily and trashed around in the cage, but she was trapped. The walls didn't budge and she couldn't break through the magically reinforced iron. The siren seemed to realize this and threw back her head to let out a deafening screech. The layers of magic seemed to keep her inside for now.

* * *

 **There you have it! I hope everything was believable, 'cause let me tell you I struggled so much with writing out everything. I really wanted to highlight Lucy's intelligence during this battle and I realize there might be some holes in today's update, but they will be explained next time. As always, I strive to improve my writing, so constructive critisism is welcome. Until next time (=w=)/**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I will try to update every at least every two weeks, since school is starting soon. Thank you for the response so far.**

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Following the capture of the mermaid, Lucy had been brought to her cabin and was forced to rest, while Gray and the other pirates figured out a way to move the cage into the holding cells. Lucy had initially protested, claiming she would be more useful in handling the cage rather than doing nothing, but her protests fell on deaf ears.

Kai and Mateo flanked Lucy and threatened to drag her inside, before she agreed to lie down and let them escort her inside. Once she was leaned back in her hammock, she realized the deep ache in her muscles and the chill that had spread to her bones. Her hair had swiftly been toweled dry to get rid of the excess water, and a blanket had been wrapped around her shoulders to get rid of her shivers. Lucy felt her eyelids grow heavy, but that was to be expected. She had been soaked and cold for a long time and she was utterly exhausted.

"Blimey, ye caught a siren! A &#% ?! siren! It's bloody unbelievable!" Kai was gushing, entirely too loud for Lucy. Ed had entered a few minutes ago and was deathly quiet, but Lucy wrote it off as shock after seeing a mythical creature in the flesh.

"I thought sirens were wives' tales. Bloody hell." Mateo supplied from his perch on the desk. Ed made a grunting sound in response instead of giving an actual reply. Something stirred in the back of Lucy's mind, but it was a fleeting thought and vanished as fast as it had appeared. The blonde mage turned her eyes toward the bandana wearing pirate and thought he was acting unusual.

"Do ye think the cage will hold?" Kai asked, unable to contain his excitement. Ed made a noncommittal sound and looked down at the floor quietly.

If there was one thing Lucy had come to know about Ed, it was that he was very vocal about everything he thought. For him to be so taciturn was not a normal occurrence and the blonde was alerted that something was off. The moment she was about to ask him about it, the door slammed open and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. All three pirates were on their feet instantly and ready to fight, until they realized that it was Gray in the doorway and that he was absolutely livid. His eyes zeroed in on Lucy, and the blonde felt her insides squeeze at the scathing look he gave her. She could have sworn she saw Kai tremble in fear out of the corner of her eye.

"What. Were. You. _Thinking_?" Waves of cold rolled off him violent pulses and the window frosted over in seconds. Lucy had known Gray for years and for him to be this angry with her, she had messed up big time. Her hunch was confirmed when all three pirates silently exchanged looks and quickly headed for the door, closing it behind them. Kai threw her a backwards glance before the door clicked shut, but ultimately she was left with a seething Gray.

"I, uhm, I wasn't?" Her eloquent response didn't placate him one bit. No, it had the exact opposite effect and his eyes narrowed to slits when he stepped closer to her. Lucy got up from the hammock and bit her lower lip as she prepared to be yelled at. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her legs almost buckled from the exhaustion, but she swallowed thickly and braced herself the best she could.

"You could have died!" Gray's voice rose to a shout and Lucy felt herself shrink at his words. Her chest constricted when it sunk in how close she had gotten to dying, and she found it just a little harder to breathe.

Gray started to pace in front of the blonde. "You promised me that you wouldn't take any unnecessary risks, and what do you do? You jump into the freaking water where a goddamn mermaid was ready to kill you!" He threw his hands into the air and whirled back around to face her.

"Tell me, do you have any regard at all for your life, or was it the adrenaline kick that had you rushing headfirst to your death?!" He exhaled harshly and looked away to compose himself. For a second, Lucy felt anger rise in her chest at Gray's hurtful words, but it deflated right away at the sight of his erratic breathing.

He was right, she _had_ promised not to do anything stupid. Guilt washed over her and made her fumble for words. When he looked at her again a few seconds later, his anger had been replaced by sorrow and exhaustion. Whatever words Lucy had strung together to defend herself died on her tongue upon seeing his heartbroken expression.

"You could have died." He repeated softly and took a few steps back, before slumping down on a chair with his head in his hands. Lucy wanted to cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and blinked back the tears that were gathering in her eyes. She had reacted on instinct when the siren threatened them, but she hadn't considered the consequences even once. Gray had been so scared that something had happened to her and she had done nothing but worry him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Lucy kneeled down in front of him and gently removed his hands to make him look at her. She didn't let go of his hands and rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles to soothe him. His eyes flickered over her face and then closed tightly.

"What if I had lost you?" Gray's voice was raw with emotion and Lucy felt the urge to cry return full force, but she squashed it down and focused on the ice mage before her.

"You haven't lost me." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. Gray took a shuddering breath and the grip on her hands tightened.

When Gray finally was in control of his voice again, he looked Lucy dead in the eye and spoke. "If we're going to do this Lucy, I have to know that I can trust you." His eyes bore into hers and Lucy swallowed nervously. Trust between teammates was an unspoken requirement, which she was well aware of.

"Of course you can." Lucy assured him. The look he gave her reminded her that she had just broken her promise to him not even an hour ago.

"I'm sorry." She repeated for good measure. Gray's eyes searched hers intently until a sigh escaped him.

"Yeah." He relented and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Lucy returned his gesture by cupping his face and kissing him urgently. Gray sighed against her lips, but pulled back with a frown a moment later.

"Lucy, there's something else." His tone was grave and Lucy felt the back of her neck prickle. It was like she had forgotten something very important related to the attack, but she couldn't recall what it was and she had a bad feeling about what Gray was about to tell her.

"Dagger was hurt."

Lucy felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. _Dagger_. How could she have forgotten about him? He was the reason she jumped into the water in the first place, how hadn't the thought even crossed her mind that he might have been hurt?

"No." She breathed as Gray's words registered. She had assumed he was fine since Loke had brought him up with them, and at the time, she hadn't even thought to check up on him because of the ongoing battle. That was probably also why Ed had been so withdrawn.

She scrambled to her feet and headed straight for the door, threw it open and raced to the main deck where most of the crew was already gathered in a half circle. In the center was Dagger, who was lying on the floor in a small pool of blood.

Bart was kneeling on the ground next to Dagger and Romano was on the opposite side, trying to bandage a horrible wound across the old pirate's chest. The rest of the crew was silently looking on with grim expressions, including Ed whose bandana had been taken off and was clutched tightly in his hands. Mateo and Kai were standing next to the bulky pirate, equally stone faced. Watching their emotionless faces, Lucy felt her heart sink in her chest and took a few shaky steps forward.

Dagger's breathing was uneven and every ragged breath he took made the wound on his chest bleed more. Romano was pressing a rag to the wound and was barking out orders to his crewmates. Bart was clutching Dagger's hand and looked like he had seen a ghost – an expression Lucy hadn't expected to see on a battle hardened pirate captain.

"Dagger…" She whispered sadly. She had never seen the old pirate in so much pain and the sight broke her heart. Gurgling sounds came from the injured pirate's throat and listening to it made her vision blurry with tears. Lucy felt Gray's hand on her shoulder and only then noticed that he had followed her out.

Lucy faintly registered Kai and Mateo kneel down next to the dying pirate and lean forward to listen to what he had to say. She could see – and hear – the effort talking took out of Dagger from the grunts of pain and wheezing. Romano forbade him from speaking, but it didn't stop the pirate. Whatever he told the brothers made Mateo's eyes widen in shock and Kai shake his head vehemently. Bart watched them with sorrowful eyes, but didn't stop Dagger from whatever he was trying to say. Tears rolled down Kai's cheeks and his eyes fell to the floor while Mateo gripped his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. The younger of the brothers bit his lip and shook his head again, but eventually raised his eyes to look at Dagger.

At some point Gray had put his arm around Lucy's waist and pulled her closer to his side. She found herself comforted by his warmth and buried her face in his shoulder when the sight of Dagger's life ebbing out became too much to bear. His gurgling sounds had quieted and his hands were barely twitching any more. The ice mage whispered soothing words to Lucy and kissed the top of her head, but the blonde still felt guilt eat her up from the inside as tears dripped down her face. A big part of her felt responsible for Dagger's life-threatening injury and she felt like she had failed as the crew's protector.

Gray and Lucy stayed outside with the rest of the crew as they saw the life fade from their oldest member and watched as his body went limp. Romano gave up trying to stop the bleeding and sat back on his feet with his bloodied hands resting over his knees, his head bent down in mourning. Lucy's eyes stung from crying, but she felt oddly calm when Captain Bart got to his feet and took off his hat with a sorrowful expression. He spoke softly to some of the men, who quickly left to fulfill their orders. Bart looked long and hard at Dagger, before his gaze swept over the rest of his men and he turned to head into his chambers.

The rest of the crew was quiet, but eventually Romano got to his feet and went to clean up. Dagger was still lying on the floor in a pool of blood, which felt wrong to everyone. He was no longer breathing, but Lucy stared at him for a long time in hopes that he would open his eyes and complain about his back pain, but his eyes remained shut and his body lifeless. Kai and Mateo were still kneeling on the ground next to his dead body and made no move to get up. The blonde could see tears drip from Kai's face and down to the floor, but the floor was already wet from rain and his tears blended right in.

"Do you want to go back inside?" Gray whispered to her and she found herself shaking her head. Lucy forced her eyes away from Dagger's body and met Gray's instead.

"No," she whispered, "I'll stay." The ice mage bit his lip, but nodded. Lucy figured he would stay with her until she decided to go back, and while she was grateful for his support, the blonde couldn't find it in herself to move away just yet.

Her eyes kept returning to the dead pirate and she did her best to recall what had happened from the moment the siren appeared. It was a while before she spoke again, but a thought had just occurred to her.

"Gray, where's the siren?" Lucy asked after realizing she didn't know what had happened after she was sent inside.

"We moved the cage down to the holding cells. The runes you wrote seem to be working, she hasn't been able to use her song on us and she can't reach us from inside the cage." Gray explained and pointed to the part of the deck where you entered the holding cells.

Right after Lucy had been ushered away, he had created a ramp down the stairs and frozen good deal of the deck to push and slide the cage down from a safe distance. The siren had tried slashing against the grid and trashing with her tail, but she hardly had any room to move and was still exhausted from the fight, so she had given up pretty quickly. Once she had been lowered down to the holding cells, Gray had put up a wall of ice in the entrance just in case she escaped and tried to get up to the deck. The ice mage wasn't even sure if she could move outside of water, but he was not taking any chances.

"Is the cage holding up?" Lucy had been worried about its durability, but since it had seemed like the siren was powerless against her prison, she was hopeful.

"Seems like it."

"Have you tried communicating with her?" Lucy asked slowly. Gray shook his head in reply. Lucy wasn't sure why she had asked, but now she felt an incredible urge to go down to the holding cells and see if she could successfully communicate with the siren. The blonde quietly told the ice mage what she was planning and held her breath as she waited for his response.

"Are you sure about this?" Gray frowned, but didn't outright reject her idea when she nodded. He was well-aware how crucial it was that they figure out the enemy's intention and gather as much information as possible, but they had just battled the siren and were still exhausted, not to mention low on magic.

Aside from that there was no guarantee the siren understood human language, despite her humanoid resemblance. Gray only remembered hearing feral and primitive sounds coming from her, no words. If she actually had something in common with humans besides looks, he hoped it was speech. There was really only one way to find out, so the ice mage agreed to Lucy's request and led her to the holding cells. The grieving pirates had slowly started preparing for Dagger's funeral – or whatever pirates did when someone died – and only glanced curiously at the mages in passing.

"Lucy…" Gray hesitated in front of the entrance leading down to the cells. He could see how exhausted the blonde was, but he also knew she needed the information as well as a distraction. His own curiosity was competing with his self-preservation and only added to the conflict in his mind.

"We won't go near the cage," Lucy said, "I just want to see if she understands me." The determination in Lucy's eyes finally convinced Gray and he opened a hole in the ice wall he had placed as added safety measures.

Peering inside, he was satisfied when nothing moved and proceeded to widen the hole so it was big enough for them to pass. Once inside, Gray couldn't help but let his eyes sweep over the place one more time. The cage was still in the same spot he had left it in earlier, near the back wall, but not so close to it that she would be able to reach out and touch it. Nothing else seemed out of place, so the ice mage cautiously stepped forward and approached the caged siren with Lucy following behind him. He heard Lucy gasp softly when her eyes landed on the creature inside the cage.

Up close, she looked different from when she was engulfed by water. The siren's eye shape was slightly elongated and the brow bone set higher. Iridescent scales covered the perimeter of her face and continued down her neck, chest and shoulders. Tendrils of black hair hung across her shoulders and fell around her face. The center of her face was free from scales, but had a sickly pallor to it compared to the rest of her body which was a tad bit darker. Her lips were thin and dark, while her nose was barely more than a bump on her face. The siren's cheekbones were high and her eyes bigger than a human's. Her icy blue irises were glowing in the dim light and shifted from one mage to another, otherwise her expression stayed neutral. She was observing them. Lucy and Gray exchanged looks and slowly took another step forward, while the blonde took a deep breath before speaking.

"Do you understand human speech?" The celestial mage enunciated every word and watched the siren's face intently for any sort of reaction. Other than locking eyes with the blonde, the sea deity didn't react. Her stare was so intense Lucy felt chills run down her spine.

"My name is Lucy. I'm not going to hurt you." The blonde mage inched forwards as she spoke. She could sense Gray move behind her, but her eyes were trained solely on the siren, whose gaze didn't miss the movement from the ice mage. There were still many feet between the mages and the cage, but Lucy came to a stop and carefully observed the siren. Save for her eyes, she was unresponsive to words or at least pretending to be. There was also a chance her hearing required water as a medium instead of air and couldn't process the sounds properly.

"Do you have a name?" Lucy tried again. Icy blue eyes flickered back to her, but no sound left the siren nor did she move an inch.

"Maybe Aquarius will be able to talk to her? Do you have enough magic power left?" Gray whispered and touched a hand to Lucy's shoulder. While the blonde wasn't swaying from side to side, she had still used up a lot of magic during the fight.

"I'll summon her," Lucy nodded and reached for her keys. The siren let out a low growl at the sight and her eyes narrowed. She could probably sense the magic from the keys, Lucy reasoned. The blonde looked at Gray who had taken up a fighting stance with his hands connected and feet planted firmly on the floor.

"Gray, don't." The blonde warned in a hushed voice and proceeded to summon the water bearer after Gray straightened up. The light from the gate seemed sharp down in the cells and caused the siren to screech, but Aquarius materialized regardless of the horrible sound and glared at Lucy.

"You have a lot of nerve to be summoning me again today." The water bearer scoffed and looked at the siren, who was quiet again.

"I'm sorry. Have you recovered?" Lucy asked earnestly. While she wanted to summon Aquarius to aid them, she had also been incredibly worried about her oldest spirit and was actually relieved to see her back to her snarky self.

"Tch. What do you think?" She grumbled and floated closer to the cage, inspecting it. Moments later she returned to Lucy's side and crossed her arms over her chest before addressing the two mages again.

"So, what do you want?" Aquarius asked flatly, hoping to get it over with and return to the celestial world. She would never admit it, but she was slightly concerned about Lucy's magic consumption. Since the blonde was standing upright and had the energy to talk, she was probably fine. The water bearer rolled her eyes when the celestial mage started fidgeting nervously.

"We've tried talking to her, but I'm not sure she understands human speech. She might be pretending not to know, but I would like for you to try and communicate with her." Lucy explained and hoped Aquarius would be cooperative.

"We were hoping you had a different way to talk to her." Gray piped up from beside Lucy. The spirit raised a brow and looked from Lucy to Gray and back before putting on a mask of indifference.

"We're not the same species." The water bearer pointed out dryly, but didn't deny their request. Arms still crossed, she turned and narrowed her eyes at creature that had silently watched the entire exchange. Whatever psychic or electric pulses Aquarius emitted seemed to have some effect on the siren and she shrunk back in the cage, startled.

"She doesn't have vocal cords, so don't expect her to speak. And she doesn't trust you. Don't call me again." Aquarius harrumphed and glided over the wooden floor.

"One more thing!" Lucy exclaimed before the spirit returned to the celestial world. "Please." She added hastily at the murderous expression on Aquarius' face.

"Will she be okay in the cage without any water?" Lucy managed to rush out while she still had a chance. Annoyance oozed from every fiber of Aquarius' being and she blinked once, before she dispelled herself without another word.

"That went well." Gray muttered sarcastically under his breath. He respected Aquarius as one of Lucy's partners, but he was getting sick of the water bearer's constant attitude and rude remarks. He didn't understand how Lucy put up with it.

"That was Aquarius' way of telling us that she understands us and that she has lungs." Lucy leaned closer and explained quietly. She could feel Gray getting impatient and put a hand on his arm to calm him. He seemed to consider her words before sighing loudly.

"I don't think we'll get anything out of her then. Let's go back." The ice mage suggested. He had tried to suppress it for a while now, but exhaustion was catching up to him and he didn't want to become easy prey because he was caught off guard. It was better to leave now and return when they were both rested.

"All right." Lucy agreed and followed him as he made his way back to the entrance. The blonde only looked back once and hoped she would be able to get some answers soon.

* * *

A few hours later, Lucy watched with detachment as the pirates placed Dagger's body in a wooden casket that she assumed they built earlier. The air on board the Empress was heavy with sorrow as the crew said goodbye to their oldest member. Bart's eulogy summarized Dagger's life and managed to get a few chuckles from the men at some of the funnier events in the old pirate's time, but eventually the words came to a stop and the captain gave the signal to set the casket to sea.

"Dagger's only true love was the sea, and he shall be united with her now." The captain spoke the final words and the casket was lowered into the sea, floating on top of the waves. The pirates watched until the coffin was no longer visible and prepared a drink in memory of Dagger. Memorial services were straight to the point and everyone partook in the toast to commemorate the witty pirate. Gray and Lucy stayed for a while but returned to their shared cabin sometime later and the blonde plopped down into her hammock, not caring how it looked.

The events of the past few hours had finally started to catch up to her and she was glad she was sitting down for this one. They had caught a siren – an actual, vicious siren that had tried to sink the ship. It was unbelievable. But the capture had come at the cost of Dagger's life, and Lucy wished from the bottom of the heart that it hadn't.

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 **The events of this chapter have been stuck in my head for years now, haha. We are soon nearing climax in the story. Until next time (=w=)/**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: It's been a hot minute since I last updated, but I couldn't help it. My muse returned.**

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The morning that followed was one of the hardest Lucy and Gray had experienced onboard the Empress. The crew mourned Dagger as they prepared for another day at sea with hunched shoulders. Gray had still been fast asleep when Lucy decided to get up and she didn't have the heart to wake him up after the previous day's events, so she was standing outside on the deck breathing fresh air into her lungs.

To say it had been a rough night was an understatement. Despite her exhaustion and sore body, Lucy hadn't been able to sleep much. She kept waking up from fear that the Empress would be attacked by the siren's allies while everyone was asleep. Bart had placed more than two men to stand guard at all times and even though there was a schedule worked out, Lucy would have felt much better if she had been the one keeping watch. The only problem was that she was drained of energy and summoning any of her spirits would be damn near impossible. They also needed time to recuperate, so in the end she didn't have the heart to call on them.

The night had passed without any attack, so she guessed that they were safe for now, but that didn't diminish the worry she felt. There were countless times during the night when she had been tempted to leave the cabin and stay outside for a few hours, just to do something about her nerves. The only thing that held her back was Gray's deep breathing and the captain's orders. Gray would be so disappointed if she snuck out like that and Bart had forced her to stay inside and leave the rest to his men. His puffy eyes and broken voice had been enough to convince her.

Lucy returned to the present by sucking in another deep breath and turned her gaze to the pirates that were up on deck with her. Aside from the occasional nod or greeting, none of them had interacted with her. It was disheartening to watch them mill about without much conversation and she felt a twinge of sorrow when she thought about Dagger and how she wouldn't hear any of his stories any longer. It wasn't until Kai emerged from below deck that Lucy felt herself release a sigh of relief.

"G'morning Sweetcheeks! Fine weather we're having today, eh?" He greeted cheerily and grabbed a roll of rope that he swung onto his shoulder before he looked up at her. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, but still earnest.

"Goodmorning." Lucy replied and watched on with interest as the youngest pirate secured the rope to his torso. Kai looked over his shoulder and up at the tallest mast with a calculating gaze, and grinned before addressing Lucy again.

"Be back in a jiffy." He mock-saluted and took off before Lucy could even get a word in. The blonde watched on as the pirate expertly climbed up the mast.

She was surprised by his speed and his quick decision making on his way up. She would never have been able to find footholds as fast as Kai, but then she rarely climbed. Lucy watched as he reached the crow's nest and waited patiently for a few minutes before he climbed out of it again to begin his descent. In no time he reached the bottom of the mast and jumped the last couple of meters to land next to Lucy.

"Nothing like a good climb to get the blood flowing!" He rolled his shoulders and laughed hollowly. His eyes shifted and lingered at the horizon, giving the blonde a few seconds to observe him.

Lucy took in his rumpled clothes, messy hair and dark circles under his eyes before tentatively asking, "How are you holding up?" He didn't exactly look well, but he was obviously trying hard to stick to his daily routine.

"'m fine," he mumbled, "all things considered." Lucy wanted to hug him, but she feared he would recoil from her embrace and instead gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. When Kai didn't brush off her hand, she considered her attempt at comforting him a small success. Her thoughts drifted to Dagger and she felt a small pang of sorrow in her chest.

"I half-expected him to show up this morning," she admitted quietly. Kai finally looked up and Lucy could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes, but he blinked and they were gone.

"Where's Gray?" The pirate asked curiously. Lucy interpreted the change of topic as a slight warning and quickly buried the words of consolation she was about to offer. Instead, she went along with Kai's silent request and answered his question.

"Still sleeping. He was exhausted from yesterday and I didn't want to wake him just yet." Lucy explained and looked over her shoulder towards the cabin she and Gray shared. The sun was up, so she expected the ice mage to rise soon. "He used up a lot of energy."

"He should rest." Kai agreed and started picking on a thread that had come lose on his sleeve. He was acting a little jittery and so Lucy wanted to distract him for a little while.

"Yes, but I wanted to try talking to the siren again. Gray told me not to approach her without him." While she felt slightly annoyed by his over-protection, she was in no position to refuse his request after the past few days. She would have to tough it out until he calmed down, otherwise he would never stop shadowing her.

"Did ye get anything out of 'er yesterday?" Kai seemed interested at the mention of the siren and stopped fiddling with his sleeve. Lucy shook her head, "No." Then she remembered Aquarius's words and frowned.

"Well, we found out she has lungs and understands human speech, but she can't speak to us." The celestial mage added as an afterthought. Lucy hoped that she could somehow convince the siren that they didn't mean her harm and ask her about the attacks. At the moment, all the evidence pointed to the siren's song, but the blonde had a nagging feeling that she was overseeing some part of the puzzle.

"Blimey." Kai's tone was just slightly detached, but he seemed to realize it right away and pulled a face.

"Yeah." Lucy sighed and ran her fingers over the keys hanging from her belt. The presence of her spirits was weaker than usual, but still brought her the comfort she was seeking. She hoped they were resting up, since there was no telling if they were all safe yet.

Kai bent down and picked up a crate, before announcing his departure, "Well, Sweetcheeks, it's been lovely chatting with you – but this handsome lad's got work to do."

"See you later." Lucy waved him off and returned to hanging over the railing. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander for a while, but it was hard for the blonde to take her eyes off the sea. The fear of being attacked returned full-force and Lucy had to sit down on the floorboards. She had her back against the wooden railing and let her head fall back as she stared up at the bright blue sky, praying that they were safe.

* * *

It was some time later when Gray emerged from their cabin, looking rumpled from sleep. When he spotted Lucy sitting against the railing, he made a beeline for her. Lucy got to her feet before he made it to her side and had to suppress a smile. Gray still looked half-asleep and glared at the sun for being too bright.

"Hey, you shouldn't be up yet." Lucy brushed a hand against his cheek when he stopped in front of her.

"Neither should you." Gray replied and took her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly before letting it drop down to her side. Then he yawned and stretched his back.

"I guess not." She replied and watched as Gray's eyes swept over the deck and lingered at the masses of water glinting in the sunlight. For a few seconds his eyebrows knit together in concentration, but then his face slowly relaxed. His eyes, however, never left the sea.

"Do you want to get some food?" Lucy asked, hoping to distract the ice mage. She still hadn't been able to let go of the paranoia she felt, but there was no way she was going to let Gray feel the same. Seeing him continuously watch the sea around them set off small warning signals in Lucy.

A moment later, his eyes drifted to the entrance of the lower deck where Dagger used to stay and a flash of pain crossed Gray's features. Lucy felt her heart squeeze painfully. They had both gotten very attached to the old pirate and it was going to be hard to be aboard without him around.

"Yeah," he nodded, "how are you feeling?" The ice mage put a hand on the small of her back, steering her towards the galley. A small part of the blonde's brain registered his touch and cheered, but the rest of her mind was working on an answer. There was no need to lie or sugarcoat anything really, Gray would see right through it anyway.

"Couldn't be much worse, actually." Lucy sighed dejectedly. There was no denying that she still felt miserable, but Dagger would have wanted her to remember him as a happy memory and not as someone who brought her grief.

"My entire body hurts." She added to lighten the mood, but her heart wasn't in it. She stopped before the entrance, and reached for the handle when she felt Gray's light touch on her arm.

"You'll be okay." He assured her and briefly pressed his lips to her forehead. Whether he meant her grief would stop or her body would stop being sore, she didn't know, but his reassurance made her feel marginally better.

"Everyone will." While his words were directed mostly towards Lucy, she was aware how much the ice mage had liked the old pirate and knew that Gray was masking his own grief to support her. She wanted to console him somehow, but like with Kai, she didn't want to overstep. He probably just needed some time.

"I hope so." Lucy said and suppressed another sigh. She turned the handle and led the way down to the eating quarters with Gray following right behind her.

The galley was mostly empty. The pirates who were having breakfast were very quiet, as expected, and even Romano, who was usually singing as he cooked, was silent. Gray and Lucy exchanged a look and continued towards the kitchen area to serve themselves. On the way, they passed Mateo who was staring at his meal rather than eating it, but he still offered them – Lucy – a polite nod. The dark-haired pirate was still keeping his distance and sat by himself at the end of the bench.

"Ah, G'morning my lady," Romano smiled weakly, "and kind sir." The cook had already filled their plates to the brim and handed them to the mages. It was his usual greeting for Lucy, but it lacked some of the warmth and cheerfulness he normally radiated.

"Good morning, Romano." Lucy replied quietly and thanked him for the food. Gray mumbled his thanks as he took the plate from the cook.

"Are you doing okay?" Lucy asked tentatively. After all, Romano had been the one who tried to save Dagger the day before. He shook his head slightly and grabbed a ladle to stir in a pot of porridge.

"It's hard. Everyone is still grieving, but it's hard to maintain a daily routine when the wound is still so fresh." Lucy hoped he wasn't thinking about Dagger's wound. To her surprise, Gray nodded and offered a few words of comfort.

"It will get easier over time. He wouldn't have wanted everyone to wallow for long." He grabbed a cup and accepted the tea Romano offered him. Both Gray and Lucy were under strict orders to follow Romano's instructions of rest and food, and therefore weren't allowed to turn down his specially concocted tea.

"I suppose." The cook replied solemnly and proceeded to fill Lucy's cup.

"If you ever want to talk about it…" Lucy left the offer hanging between them and felt a bit of relief when Romano smiled and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind, my lady." He left to continue his work in the kitchen and the two mages made their way out into the dining area.

Once seated Lucy started on her heaping bowl of oatmeal and tried not to scarf it down too quickly. She was _starving_. The blonde had been surprised at how, well, normal the food aboard the pirate ship was. She had been certain that pirates lived off meat, rum and an occasional cabbage, but after seeing Romano's kitchen she had to let go of that notion. He was equipped to cook gourmet grade food, but he was so skilled on his own that even a serving of oatmeal made the angels sing. Or maybe her body was just trying to regain her energy by increasing her appetite.

"Slow down, Lucy," Gray chuckled, "the food isn't going anywhere."

"But it's so good!" She argued and shoveled another spoonful into her mouth. Lucy loved oatmeal, and wouldn't mind having it every day for the rest of her life.

"It's just oatmeal." Gray shrugged and continued eating at a slower pace than Lucy. She rolled her eyes in response and finished her meal a moment later.

Now that her stomach had been satiated, Lucy leaned back and tried to think about the day ahead and what she needed to do. A meeting with Bart was in order, but as things were right now she had nothing to update him on. They had managed to catch the siren – the thought still sent shivers down her spine – but they were still in the dark about her intentions. Maybe if they could get her to tell them what she was after they could plan according to that, but what Lucy really wanted to know was if the siren had any allies or was by herself.

Lucy grabbed the glass of water she had grabbed on the way down to the bench and took a sip. According to lore sirens often hunted in groups of two or three. If that was true, they potentially had two more sirens on their tail and just thinking about how hard it had been to catch the one, Lucy prayed that she was the only one. There was no way they could survive two more.

"What's wrong Lucy? Do you want some more to eat?" Gray's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she fixed her gaze on him. They needed to find out right away and prepare for the worst.

"If you feel up to it, I want to try going down to the holding cells again." Lucy carefully put her glass of water down and watched Gray's reaction. His demeanor didn't change, so he had probably thought the same thing.

"Think she'll talk?" Gray asked after swallowing a bite. It didn't seem very likely, but they wouldn't gain anything from not trying.

"It's worth a shot. We should probably bring her some food as well." Lucy replied.

* * *

The holding cells were still chilly from Gray's wall of ice when the two mages entered. Lucy walked ahead with a tray clutched in her hands. She had no idea what the siren's diet consisted of and had asked Romano for a bit of everything – including raw fish on Gray's insistence.

Ed had been adamant that he go with them when he heard, but they couldn't risk the siren using her song on any of the pirates. It seemed like Lucy and Gray had a little resistance against its hold, but just in case she had somehow broken the cage or ruined Lucy's runes, they left the pirate outside. The siren was awake and watched them approach like a hawk.

"I brought you some food." Lucy spoke as she stopped at a safe distance from the cage. "I wasn't sure what you eat, so there is a bit of everything. I hope that's okay." The blonde continued. She kneeled down to the floor and put the tray down. Normally, she would have placed it directly in front of the other person, but she couldn't go any closer than this or she would be in attacking distance.

"Do you have a name?" Lucy tried one more time. Gray had conjured up a pole and used it to slide the tray in front of the cage. The siren blinked sluggishly and shifted a little inside her prison.

"What are you after?" Gray asked instead. He agreed that they needed to know if they were being followed, but there was no proof that the siren understood them. He had half a mind to summon Aquarious again, but the spirit was probably still tired. The siren watched him silently with her big eyes, but otherwise stayed quiet.

"Come on Lucy, I don't think she understands us." Gray was getting impatient. He wanted to get out of here and go back to their cabin for a nap, but he needed to talk to the captain about their defenses and he needed Lucy for that. He watched her slowly get to her feet and grabbed her hand to tug her along. She walked a couple of steps with him before stopping and turning back to the siren.

"Are you going to hurt us?" She asked slowly. She received no answer and followed Gray out.

* * *

It was a while later when a thought occurred to Lucy. Gray had been very affectionate ever since he woke up and he didn't bother hiding it even when the crew was around. It was already an established fact that he and Lucy were together, so there was really no need to hide the public display of affection, but Gray had always been a private person and it actually surprised Lucy a little how carefree he was being.

She quite enjoyed that he grabbed her hand when they were sitting, or how his arm found its way around her waist and his chaste kisses, but she had to wonder what had brought on this change. As far as she knew, he had dated a few girls over the past two years, but she never heard much about them. He would only mention them in passing and none of his relationships had lasted more than three months so the team hadn't asked much. Maybe Gray kept his love life separated from his social life and work, but Lucy was starting to wonder why he never told the rest of the team about his girlfriends.

"Hey Gray, I was wondering why you never spoke about the previous girls you dated?" Lucy finally asked as they were lounging in their cabin, waiting to speak to the captain. Now that she had realized it, she could hardly recall any time Gray had shared something about his dating life.

"Ooh, are you brining up my exes already? Sorry Lucy, I don't kiss and tell." Gray replied with in impish grin as he looked up from the book he had been reading.

"Come on Gray, be serious." The blonde rolled her eyes and only made him snicker. She had half a mind to smack him with her own book when his expression turned thoughtful.

"I just didn't think it was important." He explained as he leaned back in his chair and propped the book against his leg. Lucy had been lying in her hammock with her book, but swung her legs over the edge to sit up.

"What do you mean?" She asked when he didn't elaborate. He shifted a little in his chair as he thought over what to tell her.

"It's not like you guys knew them, so there was no point in introducing them if it wasn't going to last." He shrugged. He wondered why she was bringing it up all of a sudden.

"So if you didn't think it was going to work out, why did you keep dating them?" Lucy asked curiously, just a hint of something else in her tone.

"Maybe it would have worked it we gave it more time? I don't know." He wasn't so heartless that he would just dump a girl right away, so he always tried to get to know them to see how they clicked. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious." Lucy hastily explained and picked her book back up. She returned to the page she had been reading, but felt Gray's eyes on her immediately.

"Are you worried that I'm going to keep our relationship a secret from the others?" He frowned.

"No- yes?" Lucy didn't know. She knew Gray wasn't just passing time with her, he was serious about pursuing a relationship with her, but a tiny part of her wasn't sure if he would share it with their team.

"Don't be ridiculous, why would I want to keep you a secret?" He asked in disbelief and put the book down.

"Because of all the stupid rumors about love triangles and what not?" Lucy attempted feebly. Maybe she wasn't worried that he would keep her a secret, but maybe she worried about the other's reaction to it. It wasn't like anything had happened between them before, and it had been kind of sudden that they decided to give it a go without even having gone on a date.

"I'm not worried about that, and you shouldn't be either. People can think whatever they want." Gray told her resolutely, and leaned over to grab her hands. They were sitting close enough that he didn't have to leave his chair.

"Aren't you worried that we'll change the entire dynamic of our team?" Lucy couldn't help but ask – that was actually something she had been thinking about. What it they couldn't work together any longer?

"It might affect our overall teamwork a little, but it's not like we are that different from before. We're still a great team even if you are my girlfriend." Lucy had to agree. The only thing that had changed between them since this mission was the increased touches, hugs and the kissing. They still worked together flawlessly and it was never boring when they were together. Maybe she was overthinking.

"Yeah, you're right." Lucy leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. She had just realized that it was the first time he had called her his girlfriend, and she could have sworn she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"And if anything goes wrong, we can just form our own team, like we are doing now." Gray added mischievously, making Lucy laugh.

"You have a deal." She replied and let herself be tugged back into a kiss.

* * *

 **I know the pacing might seem a little odd, but I have to get back into the groove of things. Next time we will deal more with the loss of Dagger and how everyone is mourning him and maaaaaybe something will happen. Until then (=w=)/**


End file.
